Normin’s 30,120 farmers get 75K bags of inbred rice seeds

TO PREPARE the farmers for the dry season, around 30,120 rice farmers in Northern Mindanao have received some 75,300 bags of inbred rice from Region-10's agriculture department and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) -Midsayap.

The earlier distributions of the said inbred rice seeds even covered at least four provinces in Region 10.

They were Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental.

They also included other towns in Bukidnon that were not previously covered by the program such as, Baungon, Kadingilan, Libona and Sumilao, which are also potential rice producing areas.

In a statement, DA’s attached agency, PhilRice, said the seed distribution was part of the seed component of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

“ This is in preparation for the region's 2021 dry planting season,” said DA - Regional Field Office 10  regional executive director Carlene C. Collado.

In an earlier report, Philrice was commited to continue reaching out to more farmers to provide them certified seeds as an intervention to help increase yield, and reduce cost amid the pandemic.

Collado, with BARMM assistant secretary and the concurrent Director of PhilRice Midsayap, Dr. Sailila E. Abdula laid their plans for next year’s inbred rice distribution.

Abdula said of the total 1.7 million bags allocation for 2021 dry season, Region 10 was apportioned with 75,300 bags at 20 kilograms per bag under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Program.

PhilRice focal person Jasmine J. Rey of Agusan Cluster covering Regions 10, 11 and 13 said, the local governments' participation in the implementation of the program is significant to avoid over and under allocation of the rice seeds intervention.

DA's provision of certified rice seeds is to compensate the affected rice farmers in the low buying price of palay seeds as an effect of the full implementation of Republic Act No. 11203, otherwise known as the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

The recipients of this program are farmers enlisted under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) that were validated thru the city and municipal agriculture office.(Ed M. Bentulan, Jr./DA-10)