By Manny Piñol
Sagay, Negros Occidental – President Rody Duterte has promised to provide funds estimated to be about P30-B for a National Fertilizer Support Program to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to enable farmers to increase their crop production.
In his speech during the turn-over of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to over 1,600 farmers in Sagay, Negros Occidental Friday night, the President repeatedly instructed the Department of Agriculture to provide farmers with seeds and fertilisers because these are what they have been asking for.
“Man, bigyan mo sila ng binhi at abono. Yan kasi ang hinihingi nila maski saan ako magpunta,” the President said to me.
A DA study shows that one of the reasons for the low productivity of rice and corn farmers is the low fertilisation rate of their farms because of the high price of fertilisers.
While most farms would require between 6 to 8 bags of fertiliser to achieve maximum productivity, many farmers only apply 2 to 4 bags.
Fertilisers bought from private traders are also expensive and those acquired through loans payable after harvest carry very stiff interest rates.
It was the second time the President emphasised the need for a program to provide farmers with fertiliser support. The first was during a similar CLOA distribution in Buluan, Maguindanao last month.
After his speech, I informed President Duterte that there is already an existing seed distribution program, especially for rice, which will be.beefed up with the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) this year.
The DA has also prepared a Fertilizer Support Program following his Buluan directive which involves providing at least 6 bags of fertiliser for each rice and corn farmer all over the country.
When I informed him that the program would involve around P30-B which could be rolled over every year, President Duterte said he will instruct Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez to provide the funds.
“Sabihan ko si Sonny na maghanap ng pera,” the President said.
In the Fertiliser Support Program proposed by the DA, all farmers will be provided with between 6 to 8 bags of fertiliser each to be determined through soil tests conducted in all areas in the country on a “Roll-Over Loaning Scheme.”
Under the “Roll-Over Loaning Scheme,” each farmer recipient will be initially given the fertiliser he needs without any payment but he will be asked to return to the program the value of the fertiliser given to him so that he could be given supplies for the next planting season.
The “Roll-Over Loaning Scheme” in the National Fertilizer Support Program will ensure the sustainability and the accountability of the project, the DA proposal said.
While the DA has been giving out limited seeds support, it has not initiated a fertiliser support program because of the huge amount involved.
The budget of the DA last year was only P56-B while the fertiliser program if implemented is P30-B.
With the Presidential directive, however, the DA will implement the program this year as soon as it receives the funding from the Department of Budget and Management.
The National Fertilizer Support Program, when implemented, is expected to boost the production of rice and corn in the country because one of the most important needs of farmers is the ample supply of fertiliser for their farms.
(Photo of President Duterte giving CLOA to a young land reform beneficiary in Sagay, Negros Occidental was downloaded from the Inquier.)
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