Over 60,000 Calabarzon farmers participate in seed program
MORE THAN 60,000 farmers in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) regions have participated in the seed distribution program of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), around 200,000 bags of certified inbred rice seed were delivered to 104 municipalities and cities in the two regions.
The program’s priority seed recipients were farmers listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.
PhilRice said it has also distributed seed under the program to members of indigenous peoples in the two regions.
Aside from the distribution of seed, about 44,000 brochures on modern rice farming were distributed under the RCEF-Rice Extension Services Program.
“Distribution of rice production information materials is expected to be amplified this coming dry season,” PhilRice said.
The brochure gives farmers information on land preparation, fertilizer application, and harvesting.
RCEF is funded P10 billion yearly under Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, which employs revenue from rice tariffs to make the rice industry more competitive. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
