PILI, Camarines Sur. More than 1,500 rice farmers provincewide, whose farms were ravaged by floods due to the onslaught of continuous heavy rains that occurred early this year, are now beneficiaries of the palay seed distribution program of the provincial government.
Governor LRay Villafuerte directed the head of the Office of the Provincial Agriculture, Josefa Panambo to oversee and supervise the project and to see to it that only farmers whose farms suffered heavy flooding should benefit from the program.
Agricultural productivity, most especially in rice production remains among the priority thrusts of the provincial chief executive since the time he assumed the reins of the provincial government.
Last year, the province placed 7th nationwide as a top palay producer based from report of the Department of Agriculture (DA), a remarkable improvement in ranking compared to the year 2006 when the province was ranked 12th.
Governor Villafuerte has urged the province’s farmers to intensify rice production because sufficiency in the supply of rice could help immensely in stabilizing the price of this staple food which has spiraled to the detriment of the poor consumers.
The palay seed distribution project of the provincial government was meant to help farmers recover from the losses incurred as a result of the heavy floods that affected their farmlands two months ago. On the other hand, the project will contribute in sustaining the current drive of the provincial government to motivate farmers to raise the level of productivity.
A total of 732 bags of certified seeds have already been given to farmers in the towns of Baao, Bato, Buhi, Nabua and Gainza. Aside from the certified seeds, four sachets of BIO-N, an organic fertilizer or seed inoculants were also given for every bag of certified seeds. OPA head Panambo disclosed that it has scheduled this week the distribution of certified seeds to farmers in the towns of Libmanan, Minalabac, and Bula and in Iriga City. SNIEVES
