The Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas (DA-6) has allotted PHP 1.06 billion in seed and fertilizer subsidies for the region’s rice farmers during the wet cropping season from June to November.
Remelyn Recoter, DA-6 regional director, said the project is under the agency’s “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (Alpas) Kontra Covid-19” program.
“It targets to increase our local production of rice and to attain food security,” Recoter said in a statement over the weekend.
In its Facebook page, the DA-6 said the allocation will cover the provision of certified inbred and hybrid seeds, and inorganic fertilizer through the Rice Resiliency Project (RRP).
The RRP has three sub-projects — Enhanced, Expanded Inbred, and Expanded Hybrid — under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
The RCEF beneficiaries who have received certified inbred seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) can avail of two bags of urea fertilizer per hectare. Under the RCEF-Enhanced, 179,878 hectares of rice areas in Western Visayas will be covered.
Farmer-beneficiaries listed for the Expanded Inbred, which cover 47,574 hectares, will get one bag of certified inbred seeds and two bags of urea fertilizer per hectare while those who cultivate good seeds or home-saved seeds will be given two bags.
Under the Expanded Hybrid, farmers who want to plant hybrid rice, particularly in areas with sufficient irrigation, will be given one bag of hybrid seeds and three bags of urea fertilizer per hectare. This will cover some about 68,234 hectares in Region 6.
To avail of free urea fertilizer, rice farmers should present an official receipt indicating that they had already bought Triple 14 and/or 16-20-20 for balanced fertilization.
Those who have purchased fertilizers since April 24 from Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority-accredited stores are qualified to avail of the inputs.
Recoter said all beneficiaries must have been listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) to receive the free seeds and fertilizers.
Western Visayas covers Iloilo province, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Bacolod City and Iloilo City. (Erwin Nicavera pna)