The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Office here will distribute free fertilizers to rice farmers in select areas in Central Luzon this wet cropping season to help boost the country’s rice production.
The distribution will start in September until October this year.
Lowell Rebillaco, DA regional focal person for rice program, said on Wednesday that rice farmers will receive vouchers from the fertilizer distribution project of the DA under the Rice Resiliency Project 2.
Rice Resiliency Project is one of the components of the Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat Kontra Covid-19 (ALPAS Covid-19), also known as “Plant, Plant, Plant” program aimed to increase local rice production to combat global trade uncertainties and promote food security amid the pandemic.
“Ngayong 2021, ang mga qualified farmers na maka-receive ng fertilizer e-vouchers ay ang ating mga magsasaka na unang-unang dapat rehistrado sila sa tinatawag nating RSBSA at pangalawa, kailangan naka-receive sila ng hybrid seeds at inbred seeds galing sa regular fund ng rice program. (This 2021, the qualified farmers who will receive fertilizer e-vouchers are those registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and those who received hybrid seeds and inbred seeds from the regular fund of the rice program) ,” Rebillaco said in an interview.
He said during the last dry cropping season, 98,036 vouchers were generated while 89,044 vouchers were claimed by farmers under the Rice Resiliency Project 2.
This wet cropping season, Rebillaco said there are 53,822 target vouchers for Nueva Ecija amounting to PHP210.47 million, and 29,523 target vouchers for Tarlac worth PHP112.26 million.
Rebillaco said farmers in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac were chosen recipients of the free fertilizers because the two areas were included in the top 15 priority hybrid provinces in the country.
Those farmers who planted inbred seeds can avail of two bags of fertilizers per hectare or PHP2,000 in the form of vouchers, and those who planted hybrids will be given three bags per hectare or PHP3,000 worth of vouchers. (PNA)
