Xanadu and MMSU ink pact for fertilizer tech trials

By Ian Paul Villanueva
 
Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) partnered with Xanadu Agri Products Inc. for the demonstration of the latter’s foliar fertilizer technologies within the university. The two parties formalized their partnership through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed on Thursday, May 28, at the MMSU Center for Flexible Learning.
 
As agreed, MMSU will host fertilizer product validation field trials on a 2.5-hectare portion of the MMSU President’s Farm and 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯 Farm. The trials will compare the efficacy of Xanadu’s foliar fertilizers with the more prevalent traditional granular fertilizers. These experiments are scheduled to take place during the wet season of 2026 on rice crops and during the dry season of 2027 on selected vegetable crops.
 
Ultimately, the goal of the partnership is to test Xanadu’s innovative technologies in this part of the country and disseminate such technologies to local farmers through the university’s Extension Directorate.
 
The partnership will also showcase proven technologies and practices for agriculture students, faculty-researchers, and extensionists, as part of the academe-industry collaborative partnership.
 
During his speech, MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., expressed the university’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the partnership. He said, “We are thankful to Xanadu for this partnership, and whatever provision is contained in this MOA, we commit to deliver them.”
 
Dr. Manzano also stressed the significance of the partnerships to students and faculty members of the university’s agriculture-related programs, saying, “It is a great opportunity for our students to see actual experiments being conducted, which are a great aid to instruction.”
 
In his message, Xanadu Chairperson Wellington Soong expressed his hopes for the youth to keep the nation’s agricultural industries alive. “I hope our next generation will propagate and continue our agricultural industries,” he said.
 
The agreement was signed by MMSU President Dr. Manzano and Xanadu Chairperson Wellington Soong, and witnessed by MMSU Extension Director Marlowe Aquino and Xanadu Executive Director Hazel Loreto-Murphree. Representing Xanadu at the MMSU campus for the ceremonial signing were Engr. Francis Alpas and Mr. Shungo Senga.