Almost 152,000 farmers in Central Luzon have received certified seeds this wet season through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program.

Based on the report of the Rice Seed Monitoring System, a total of 429,048 bags of certified seeds were distributed to 151,974 farmers in the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales as of Aug. 13.

RCEF Program Management Office head Flordeliza Bordey said on Thursday that the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), in partnership with the local government units (LGUs), has delivered some 447,469 bags of certified seeds to 112 municipalities in the region.

Among the seed varieties distributed to the farmer-beneficiaries were NSIC Rc 222, NSIC Rc160, NSIC Rc 480, NSCI Rc 436, NSIC Rc 218 and NSIC Rc 534.

Bordey said the distribution of certified seeds to some areas in the region will be done until Sept. 15.

The seed program is one of the four components of the RCEF under the Rice Tariffication Law which aims to help lower production costs and increase the yield and income of farmers.

Bordey said farmers are now reaping the benefits of using certified seeds.

A monitoring and evaluation survey reported that the average yield of the RCEF seed recipients increased from 3,630 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha) to 4,320 kg/ha in the dry season, and from 3,690kg/ha to 4,020kg/ha in the wet season.

Aside from increased yields, Bordey said some of the program’s farmer-beneficiaries also value their reduced production cost because of the free certified seeds.

“I am asking rice farmers to register in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture as it is the basis of the LGUs in determining the qualified program beneficiaries,” she said in a radio interview.

Each beneficiary can receive one sack or 20 kilograms of seeds for every half hectare of farm. (PNA)