The Department of Agriculture-Central Luzon (DA-3) has started to distribute fertilizer discount vouchers to farmers in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija.

Regional Rice Program Coordinator Lowell Rebillaco said on Monday 28 of the 2,250 beneficiaries of the program this wet cropping season have so far received the fertilizer discount voucher that could help boost their rice production.

Rebillaco said the fertilizer discount voucher is valued at PHP1,131 per hectare for inbred rice and PHP2,262 per hectare for hybrid rice.

He said the discount voucher can be used by farmer-beneficiaries to claim fertilizers from accredited merchants.

He noted, however, that only farmers who are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and those who availed rice seeds from the DA Rice Program shall be eligible to receive the fertilizer discount voucher.

Rebillaco encouraged farmers to register with RSBSA since it is the first requirement for receiving assistance from DA.

Zaragoza Mayor Lovella Belmonte-Espiritu thanked the DA for the much-needed support to the farmers.

“I am grateful to the DA program for the help they gave to our farmers here in Zaragoza. This is a big help considering the high cost of farm inputs such as fertilizer,” she said in a statement.

Consolacion Almayda, one of the farmer-beneficiaries, said the distribution of the fertilizer discount voucher is timely amid the pandemic and rising cost of fuel.

“We can hardly cope with the situation. Aside from the continuing threat of the pandemic, the series of increases in oil prices also added to the high palay production cost, making it difficult for us. Thank you for the support of the government. It is indeed a big help,” she said in Filipino. (PNA)