The FSP is part of the president's intervention measures to sustain the country's high agricultural growth through Fields.
Fields contains essential ingredients in making food abundant. It will also make food accessible and affordable to Filipinos.
Fields stands for loans for Fertilizer, Irrigation and Infrastructure, Extension Education and training of farmers and fisher. It could be used for the dryers and other post-harvest facilities and seeds of the high-yielding hybrid varieties.
DA Regional Director Oscar Parawan said he is targeting to distribute a total of 195,504 coupons for fertilizer subsidy worth P48,958,500 to farmers to ensure maximum rice growth rate and yield.
"The fertilizer subsidy will help farmers maintain and even increase yield. It will also augment the farmers' capacity in buying fertilizer where price is also increasing," Parawan said.
Last year's palay production of the region has registered an increase by about 7.69 percent or 39,558.00 metric tons higher compared to the same period in 2006.
This was due to the increase in area harvested by 5.03 percent and yield by 2.47 percent.
For corn production, last year's output of the region posted a 7.48 percent or 15,288.00 metric tons increase compared to that in CY 2006.
The output was largely because of the sufficient rainfall and availability of good quality seeds, particularly yellow corn seeds instituted by the DA through the GMA-Corn Program.
The coupon scheme of the FSP is open to master-listed rice farmers who started planting from June to October this year.
Parawan said that DA's ultimate goal, in collaboration with the local government unit, is to attain rice self-sufficiency amid high price or rice due to high global rice supply, among other factors. (BPG)
