DA fertilizer discount voucher reaches 10k Caraga rice farmers
BUTUAN CITY -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga in coordination with the Local Government Units has distributed the Fertilizer Discount Vouchers to rice farmers in Surigao del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands from August 18 until September 9.
The intervention benefited 7,919 rice farmers in the Province of Surigao del Norte and 2,918 in the Province of Dinagat Islands. Each voucher is equivalent to ₱1,131 per hectare for farms planted with inbred seeds, and ₱2,262 per hectare for hybrid seeds.
Fertilizer
vouchers are given to farmers registered in the Registry System for Basic
Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and encoded in the National Farmers’ and
Fishers’ Online-Registry System (NFFRS) or the National Farmers and Fisheries
Information System (NFFIS) and availed of rice seeds from the DA-Caraga Rice
Program in the current planting season.
Rice Program
Focal Person Marisa Garces of DA-Caraga said that the discount voucher can be
exchanged for inorganic and organic fertilizers at accredited merchants in the
region. "As the prices of inorganic fertilizers continue to increase,
the DA promotes the Balance Fertilization Strategy, which combines inorganic
and organic fertilizers," she added.
In the Caraga
Region, non-Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) areas such as Surigao
del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands are the focus of the fertilizer
support through the DA National Rice Program. This has been emphasized by
Regional Executive Director Ricardo M. OΓ±ate, Jr.
"Our
interventions are strategized to optimize the Department’s funds. This is our
approach to aid the rice farmers in non-RCEF areas to increase their
productivity and ensure food security in their respective provinces,
particularly because they are classified as island provinces," Director
OΓ±ate said.
Based on the
Philippine Statistics Authority, the average yield of rice production in
Surigao del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands in 2021 was 3.36 metric
tons and 2.72 metric tons, respectively.
As DA-Caraga
continues to provide various interventions in the non-RCEF provinces, it is
expected to contribute to the increase in production by at least 3-5% for this
year. (Rhea C. Abao, DA-Caraga RAFIS/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
