News Details

DA deploys mobile soil lab to boost farm productivity in Western Visayas

NPO

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August 22, 2025

ILOILO CITY – Farmers in Western Visayas will soon have easier access to soil testing and analysis with the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) deployment of a PHP42-million mobile soil laboratory (MSL) to the region.

The state-of-the-art facility, developed by the DA Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM), is capable of conducting 44 types of chemical, physical, and microbiological soil tests. It aims to provide science-based data to help farmers improve land productivity and ensure sustainable farming practices.

“The mobile lab can generate soil test results within five days, and in some cases, within the day when samples are ready for analysis,” said Babylou Magdaug, DA Western Visayas chief of the Regional Soils Laboratory, in a statement Friday.

Magdaug added that the free soil testing service will support farmers in adopting data-driven crop management practices, including proper fertilizer application and soil conservation measures. The service is available to growers of rice, corn, high-value crops, vegetables, and root crops.

The provision of mobile laboratories across DA regional offices forms part of the National Soil Health Program’s Strategy 2: Monitoring of Soil Health.

The customized 10-wheeler truck carrying the laboratory arrived in Iloilo on Aug. 14 and is currently stationed at the Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center in Barangay Hamungaya, Jaro district. It is expected to become operational by October.

NPO News Team | PNA-PR