Certified rice seeds now available at NFA

DUMAGUETE CITY, April 11 –Some 3,000 bags of certified rice seeds are now available at the National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Oriental under the Rapid Seed Supply Financing Project (RaSSFiP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The project aims at helping the rice farmers to plant high quality and hybrid variety of rice.

According to NFA provincial manager Francisco Lorico, NFA would implement the certified paddy seed acquisition and distribution program through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the NFA and the DA.

The NFA will be using its expertise in grain handling to maintain the quality of seeds until they are distributed to farmer-beneficiaries for planting before the production period starts.

The Negros Oriental Certified Rice and Corn Growers Association pledged to supply the certified rice seeds. Lorico said the association still has to deliver a total of 1,693 bags of certified seeds only until the end of April.

He said the deadline for the acquisition of certified seeds is only until the month of April after the Department of Agriculture issued an advice to extend the deadline because of the effects of the El Nino phenomenon.

Lorico said every bag of certified rice seed is sold at P1,200 but farmers are only made to pay half the price under the RaSSFiP.

Earlier, Provincial Agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca said the certified seeds program would help assist farmers affected by the El Nino phenomenon, especially in the southern part of the province.

He expects a drop in the agricultural production in the next cropping season because of the dry spell.