The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga in coordination with the Local Government Units has been distributing the Fertilizer Discount Vouchers to rice farmers in Surigao del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands from August 18 until September 9.

The intervention benefited 7,919 rice farmers in the Province of Surigao del Norte and 2,918 in the Province of Dinagat Islands.  Each voucher is equivalent to ₱1,131 per hectare for farms planted with inbred seeds, and ₱2,262 per hectare for hybrid seeds.

Fertilizer vouchers are given to farmers registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and encoded in the National Farmers’ and Fishers’ Online-Registry System (NFFRS) or the National Farmers and Fisheries Information System (NFFIS)  and availed of rice seeds from the DA-Caraga Rice Program in the current planting season.

Rice Program Focal Person Marisa Garces of DA-Caraga said that the discount voucher can be exchanged for inorganic and organic fertilizers at accredited merchants in the region. “As the prices of inorganic fertilizers continue to increase, the DA promotes the Balance Fertilization Strategy, which combines inorganic and organic fertilizers,” she added.

In the Caraga Region, non-Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) areas such as Surigao del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands are the focus of the fertilizer support through the DA National Rice Program. This has been emphasized by Regional Executive Director Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr.

“Our interventions are strategized to optimize the Department’s funds. This is our approach to aid the rice farmers in non-RCEF areas to increase their productivity and ensure food security in their respective provinces, particularly because they are classified as island provinces,” Director Oñate said.

Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority, the average yield of rice production in Surigao del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands in 2021 was 3.36 metric tons and 2.72 metric tons, respectively.

As DA-Caraga continues to provide various interventions in the non-RCEF provinces, it is expected to contribute to the increase in production by at least 3-5% for this year. (Rhea C. Abao, Information Officer II, DA-Caraga RAFIS)