NIA’s flagship Rice Program launched in Agusan Sur
AGUSAN DEL SUR -- The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) recently launched the Farmers Support Services Program (FSSP) in Agusan del Sur as the pilot province in Caraga region.
Under the program, the farmers who are members of the irrigator associations will receive direct financial assistance to buy planting seeds and fertilizers.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the provincial government of Agusan del Sur (PGAS) will assist the farmers during the harvest season while NIA will assist in marketing the harvested rice grains at the Kadiwa stores at a fair price according to prevailing market value.
During the pilot year of FSSP in the province, 1,423 hectares of rice fields in Veruela and 1,000 hectares in Bayugan City were identified to become pilot fields during the planting season.
The aim of the program is to guide farmers to be free from the cycle of financial dependency from the usurers and to push the system to direct farmers to a market value chain that will ensure availability of rice at low prices for the consumers.
With the support of PGAS and the guidance of soil health technicians, it is encouraged that the coming pilot planting season will be under the soil test based fertilization protocols.
Agusan del Sur was chosen to become a pilot recipient province of the farmers support program because of the unity of provincial and municipal leaders to strengthen the scientific agriculture practices through the program on Upland Sustainable Agro-forestry Development (USAD), and the establishment of the state-of-the-art provincial soils laboratory. (David M. Suyao, PPIO-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
