BANGUED, Abra – The Philippine Rice Research Institute of the Department of Agriculture awarded a total of 10,845 bags of certified inbred seeds to Abra farmers under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
The seed subsidy covers 5,361 hectares of rain-fed and irrigated rice lands across the province. The seeds are expected to increase harvests while lowering rice production costs.
RCEF Seed Component Coordinator Dr. Andres dela Cruz Jr. and Governor Dominic Valera led the awarding during the RCEF social mobilization program at the Bangued covered court.
Dela Cruz said all farmers in the province will benefit from the seeds provided they are registered under the Registration System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). The RCEF prioritizes small rice farmers with land not exceeding two hectares to capacitate them on production, competitiveness, and profit.
“Lahat ng farmers ay makakauha ng binhi kung registered sila sa RSBSA. So hindi lang cash assistance ang makukuha ninyo sa RCEF kundi pati na rin mga certified inbred seeds na kakailanganin ninyo,” Dela Cruz said.
Valera thanked the DA for its continuous assistance to the farmers not only in Abra but in the entire nation.
“Ang tulong na ito ay isang simbolo na patuloy na pinapahalagahan ang mga magsasaka so we thank President Marcos who is the Secretary of Agriculture for his continuous assistance to us,” he said. – Christian Allister Tubadeza
