Thursday, August 07, 2008 Yulo scores fertilizers importation plan
NEGROS Occidental Vice Governor Emilio Yulo III scored the government's plan to import fertilizers to augment the current supply in the country aimed at lowering the fertilizers' present cost of more than P1,800 per bag.
"Too late," commented Yulo in a press conference at the Vice Governor's Office Wednesday afternoon as he stressed that the supposed plan to import fertilizers, among other farm inputs, would be timely for Negros Occidental.
He added that planning plus the actual importation process will take time and the delivery of goods might happen in the next crop year.
"Meaning, it's too late now and imported fertilizers will be of no use anymore if the supplies come during the milling season in the province or worst, next year," he added.
Milling season in Negros Occidental usually starts by the end of September or first week of October.
Yulo said the Department of Agriculture (DA) was supposed to take this kind of initiative before the off-milling season so the imported fertilizers will be of great help during the planting season, especially for rice and sugarcane plantations not only in Negros but all throughout the country.
Meanwhile, thousands of small and medium sugar planters in the province will again stage an indignation rally at the Bacolod public plaza on Saturday, August 8.
Nadie Arceo, concurrent chair of Unifarms (United Farmers) and vice mayor of Hinigaran town, said they will again express their sentiments against the skyrocketing prices of fertilizers in the country, which he claimed, are gradually killing the small and medium sugar planters.
Governor Isidro Zayco and the rest of Negros Occidental officials also support of the cause of Arceo's group, believing that with high prices of fertilizers, it is but natural that most of Negrense small and medium sugar planters will suffer from low inputs resulting to poor yields later.
Meanwhile, Zayco announced Wednesday that the budget for fertilizers' discount from the DA is now available at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).
This, however, involves the P250 discount per bag of fertilizers and only good for two bags per rice farmer with one-hectare rice farm.
As to the counterpart of local government units (LGUs) of four bags, which totaled P1,000, it remains in limbo until now since budget for this will be taken from the IRA differential, the governor added.
Under the Fertilizers Subsidy Program (FSP) of the DA, each rice farmer with six hectares of farms is entitled to six bags of fertilizers and can avail of P1,500 total discount or at P250 per bag. (Erwin Ambo Delilan)
