Program leads to modern agri production

CATARMAN, Northern Samar – The cash-for-work of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) led to the modernization of agricultural production in Las Navas town.

Northern Samar Governor Paul Daza said Noel Danque, Las Navas municipal agricultural officer, has reported a 400-percent increase in rice yield after farmers abandoned the traditional payatak system, which only yields 30 cavans of rice per hectare for the farmers.

The modern way of rice growing enables farmer to harvest 120 cavans of rice.

DSWD-Eastern Visayas Regional Director Letecia Diokno said there are 390 farmer-beneficiaries of the P939,510-worth of cash-for-work, who worked 11 days at P219 per day to cultivate 305 hectares of rice lands in the last quarter of last year.

Diokno said the rice lands were converted from payatak area into modern farms with rice paddies.

Daza said the project helped the farmer-beneficiaries in producing more and “the amount was an investment on the part of the government in modernizing the rice production program in the province.” (Leyte Samar Daily Express)