The Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., turned over palay seeds, under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), to the province of Negros Occidental in a ceremony June 5 at the NFA warehouse in Bacolod City.
The RCEF-certified inbred seeds, worth P84,964,000, and packed in 20-kilogram bags, are expected to benefit more than 40,000 farmers listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), the DA in Western Visayas said.
The 96,550 bags of certified rice seeds distributed will cover approximately 44,514 hectares of rice land across the province for the 2025 wet planting season.
Kabankalan City and Bago City received the highest seed allocations this season, with 14,000 and 13,000 bags, respectively, the DA6 said, adding the distribution is being facilitated by the DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute-Murcia.
Meanwhile, Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation regional manager Eva Ulie Laud facilitated the release of P81,734.78 in indemnity claims to 10 rice farmers from Bago, whose crops suffered losses due to drought and pest infestation. ||
