Over 570 Tiaong farmers receive P3.2-M fertilizer aid

By Nimfa Estrellado February 14, 2023 Rice farmers show the fertilizer discount vouchers they received during the distribution activity faci...

By Nimfa Estrellado
February 14, 2023

Rice farmers show the fertilizer discount vouchers they received during the distribution activity facilitated by the Department of Agriculture at Municipal Town Plaza in Tioang, Quezon on February 10, 2023. (Photo from Tiaong Public Information Office/FACEBOOK)

TIAONG, Quezon - About 570 rice farmers in Tiaong have received fertilizer discount vouchers (FDV) from the Department of Agriculture (DA), an official said.

In an exclusive interview with Sentinel Times, Elsa Dia, Municipal Agriculture Office (Tiaong) information officer, stated, "The agency's goal is to help our rice farmers increase their productivity and maintain regional food security."



As of February 14, the agency had released PHP3.2 million to farmers in the town.

Each farmer will receive a voucher worth PHP6,200 per hectare of planted rice area for the months of August and September, which fall under the second cropping period she added.



The discount voucher can be redeemed for fertilizer at authorized fertilizer retail outlets.

Atienza Rice and Poultry Supplies, one of Tiaong's accredited merchants, was invited to this event.



Farmers who have registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and purchased rice seeds from the DA Rice Program in the previous months are eligible for the fertilizer discount voucher.

DA has also distributed and promoted the use of nitrogen-fixing bio-fertilizer, which can reduce fertilizer use by 25 to 50% while maintaining yield performance.

Fertilizer discount vouchers are distributed to farmers through the Rice Banner Program in partnership with the local government.

The Rice Banner Program is one of the Department of Agriculture's banner components that focuses on rice farming and improving the lives of Filipino farmers.

The National Rice Program, guided by the principles of the Rice Banner Program framework, integrates government initiatives and interventions for the agriculture sector, namely food security and self-sufficiency, sustainable resource management, farm-to-table support services, and broad-based local partnerships.