AFTER the significant loss of income due to the sudden drop of palay prices, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), in partnership with the local government of San Simon, on Thursday, December 5, released sacks of certified seeds for the benefit of rice farmers here.
A total of 2,700 sacks of certified seeds amounting to P760 each were distributed to farmers listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.
PhilRice Pampanga provincial coordinator Paul Marcelo said the funds used for the purchase of certified seeds were sourced from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
RCEF are the tariffs that were collected from the imported grains implemented under the Rice Liberalization Law, and are utilized to provide assistance to Filipino farmers.
“PhilRice allocated a little over P2-million for the purchase of the seeds that will hopefully help our farmers reduce their production costs and improve their income,” Marcelo said.
He added that the program aims to cover at least 56 percent of the farmlands in the whole every planting season.
Benefits to farmers
Fourth District Representative Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc said that the seeds distribution is also the national government’s way of addressing the problem in the drop of palay prices.
According to Agustin Carlos, Jr., a local rice farmer from Barangay San Jose, they were only able to sell their past harvest by up to P12 per kilo.
“The prices of our palay hit P10, P12 if we are lucky to find a good buyer. And that means a big loss for us considering the amount seeds we purchase. There are times that they do not even want to buy our palay because of the quality,” he lamented.
But with the assistance from the PhilRice, Carlos and his fellow Simonian farmers were able to heave a sigh of relief.
From P12, Carlos said that harvest from the distributed seeds can be sold for about P19 considering its higher quality.
“We understand that our farmers felt the effect of Rice Liberalization Law but this is an assurance that the national government is addressing that problem and is working to improve the agriculture sector,” Bondoc said.
Mayor Abundio “Jun” Punsalan, Jr., meanwhile, expressed gratitude to PhilRice and the Department of Agriculture for their continuing support to Simonian farmers.
As a town that is still covered by 50 percent of agricultural lands, Punsalan said that projects for the development of the agricultural sector are really needed.
“In other countries, farmers are the rich ones but it is the other way around in the Philippines. As the people who work hard to produce what we eat each day, we must give them the importance they deserve, even in the smallest possible way of assisting them in their livelihood,” he said.