The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured that more aid will be provided to farmers this wet planting season.
The DA will prioritize giving free quality seeds, fertilizers, and machinery to farmers from more than 1,000 rice producing areas in the country.
“Itong ating certified seeds ay mataas ang kalidad, maganda ang pagtubo at germination. Siya po ay matibay… ito po ay nakakatulong sa sabayang pag-ani (Our certified seeds are of high quality, has good growth and germination. It is robust… It can help in simultaneous harvesting),” PhilRice Deputy Executive Director Dr. Flordeliza Bordey said.
PhilRice has currently distributed more than two million sacks of certified seeds to farmer beneficiaries, almost one million sacks of fertilizers, and 200,000 machines. The move aims to boost farm production, decrease cost of production and achieve 93 percent rice sufficiency in the country. The Philippines currently has almost three months’ worth of buffer stock of rice. – Report from Cleizl Pardilla