SAN AGUSTIN, PILI, CAMARINES SUR – To ensure enough supply of rice in the midst of the forecasted La Nina, the DA Bicol hasten the delivery of some 60,205 bags of hybrid rice to cover 60,205 hectares in the six provinces of Bicol for the wet season cropping 2024. This is in addition to the 147,700 bags of certified seeds (CS) distributed by PhilRice in Bicol. Thus, 103,675 hectares rice areas are targeted to be planted for the wet cropping season, DA Bicol Regional Executive Director Rodel P. Tornilla said.
“Sa mga magsasaka na hindi pa nakapagtanim noong June, sana po ay makuha na ninyo ang binhi mula sa inyong mga Municipal Agriculturists/City Agriculturists upang maitanim na po agad bago magtapos ang buwan ng Hulyo upang makapag-ani na bago ang last quarter kung saan maaring dumating ang mga bagyo,” Director Tornilla emphasized.
According to PAGASA forecast, La Niña may develop in July-September (69% chance).
Earl Vincent Vegas, OIC Chief of Field Operations Division and Focal Person for Rice Program said that for this wet cropping season, some 15,500 bags of hybrid rice and 28,815 bags CS were allocated for Albay; 6,000 bags hybrid and 9,444 CS for Camarines Norte; 26,995 bags hybrid and 66,040 bags CS for Camarines Sur; 800 bags hybrid and 5,012 bags CS for Catanduanes; 3,900 bags hybrid and 20,134 bags CS for Masbate; and 7,010 bags hybrid rice and 18,255 bags CS for Sorsogon.
Under the National Rice Program, the DA Bicol is also distributing fertilizer discount vouchers (FDV) to RSBSA-registered rice farmers at the rate of P3,400 worth fertilizer voucher per hectare. As of this writing, the DA Bicol Rice program has already generated 50,972 FDV and some 5,972 were already claimed by some 5,682 rice farmers regionwide. Priority beneficiaries of the FDV are hybrid rice farmers.
According to Vegas, the Rice Program will also roll out biofertilizers to clustered associations to lessen cost of production specifically on fertilizer and to enhance soil health and fertility. Biofertilizers are “substances containing variety of microbes having the capacity to enhance plant nutrient uptake by colonizing the rhizosphere and make the nutrients easily accessible to plants root hairs.” Therefore, it is a better alternative to synthetic fertilizers.
Meanwhile, under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), some 145,153 RSBSA-registered rice farmers in the six provinces of Bicol cultivating 2.0 hectares and below already received their P5,000 cash assistance dubbed as Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA). The total amount claimed by the Bicolano rice farmers amounted to P 734,993,550 as of this writing. While P792,012,150 has been credited to the cash cards of some 156,313 farmers as of July 17. This comprises 96.10% of the total P823,100,750 allocation for Bicol. (Lovella P. Guarin – RAFIS 5)
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