TALAVERA, Nueve Ecija (PNP)-The municipal government here and the Talavera seed Growers Association have established a 2.5 hectare demonstration farm in which they would showcase a technology that can increase palay production to at least 200 cavans per hectare.

The average palay production in this province is five tons or 100 cavans per hectare. The national average is much less.

Talavera Mayor Manolito Fausto said they hope to demonstrate a technology that will double rice yield to 10 tons or 200 cavans per hectare.

The technology, he said, primarily involves the use of quality seeds and improved farm systems and cultural practices.

Before the establishment of the demonstration farm in baranay Sampaloc here, Fausto said, they sent for training local farmers and municipal agriculturagl technicians to the Philippine Rice Research Institute's (PhilRice) central experiment station in the nearby Science City of Muñoz.

In a related development, the municipal government of Aliaga, Nueva Ecija has established its own P1-million ecology-agricultural center in barangay Santiago.

Aliaga Mayor Beth Vargas said the one hectare ecology-agricultural center aims to show how to maximize productivity in a limited farm area thought the various farm-based enterprises that could be pursued efficiently in a environment-friendly manner.

Vargas said half of the project area is planted to high-yielding rice varieties and cash crop as gabi and cassava with provision for poultry and livestock-related ventures.

The other half is devoted fishpond and nursery.  The perimeter of the project area has been planted to various tree species with high economic value.