Agri office to provide certified seeds to flooded farmers

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- An official from the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday that flood-affected farmers in Pampanga are set to receive a subsidy for seedlings.

Benjamin Baltazar, DA division operations chief, said farmers whose standing crops were submerged in floodwaters during the southwest monsoon are qualified to avail themselves of the program.

However, he clarified that farmers will be getting their share depending on the number of hectares they actually own and till.

“Isang kaban ng certified seeds kada isang hektarya ang ibibigay sa mga farmers,” Baltazar added.

Records of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) show that at least 8,682 hectares of rice fields were totally damaged due to inundation, leaving other 8,273 hectares partially damaged.

The province has about 20,796 farmers in different towns.

Baltazar said they have already distributed at least 3,000 sacks of certified seeds to affected farmers in the province.

Aside from this, the agriculture department is also providing assistance in terms of farm machineries and post harvest facilities.

“Priority po natin yung mga organized groups. Mas maganda kung mayroon silang association o kooperatiba para mabilis ang pagbibigay ng tulong,” he said. (Herbert P. Mapiles)