MANILA -- The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has stepped up efforts to provide fertilizer vouchers to farmers in order to bolster their rice production.
This comes after the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued updated guidelines on the implementation of a fertilizer discount voucher project under the National Rice Program.
Under Memorandum Order 65, the project shall cover regions that planted with inbred and hybrid rice seeds except for the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Through the project, the agency shall provide fertilizer vouchers to eligible beneficiaries which will be used in acquiring urea fertilizers in a bid to cushion the potential impacts of “under application of urea fertilizer to palay production and ultimately food security.”
“The use of fertilizer vouchers offers an alternative to farmers with lowered purchasing power to buy a sufficient volume of urea recommended for their rice area,” the DA's MO 65 said.
According to DA, a supplemental fund sourced from an unprogrammed regular agency fund, over and above the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget has been released to enable rice farmers to meet the recommended urea fertilizer “thereby, securing rice production in the country.”
The fund, the DA said, shall be used by beneficiaries as a discount on the retail price of urea fertilizers.
The activity aims to ensure the timely availability of the needed fertilizer for rice production in the targeted areas through the distribution of fertilizer vouchers, the DA said.
The 2022 Wet Season implementation is funded under the 2022 GAA while the 2022-2023 Dry Season implementation will be funded under the 2022 GAA and the unprogrammed funds.
For the Dry Season 2022-2023, the project aims to enable rice farmers to supplement the requirement for urea fertilizer for their rice production; to mitigate the impacts of the projected decline in production due to low usage of urea fertilizer and attain the target yield of 4.22 metric tons per hectare of palay for 2023, and to stabilize the rice supply situation in the country despite challenges in the price of commercial fertilizers.
In determining the voucher value per cropping season, the DA said, the amount or fund source is divided into the number of hectares to be served under the project as a complementation to the inbred and hybrid seed distribution program of the Rice Program.
For 2022 Wet Season cropping, the fertilizer vouchers shall be used by the farmer-beneficiaries to claim the inorganic fertilizers, organic fertilizers, foliar fertilizers, biological fertilizers or biological stimulants at accredited merchants.
The discount voucher shall have a value equivalent to Php1,131/hectates for inbred, and Php2,262/hectares for hybrid.
The DA noted that discount vouchers are for one-time use only and may be claimed at any accredited fertilizer merchants in the preferred area of the farmer-beneficiaries.
On the other hand, for the 2022-2023 Dry Cropping Season, the discount voucher value shall be computed based on the rice farm area.
According to the latest data from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), the average price of urea (prilled) per 50-kilogram bag is P2,523.68 and Php2,490.35 for urea (granular) for the period October 24 to 28.
President Marcos earlier met with the officials of Chen Yi Agventures to discuss measures aimed at helping farmers who are affected by the increasing prices of fertilizers.
“Nakipagpulong tayo sa mga opisyal ng Chen Yi Agventures upang dinggin ang kanilang mga mungkahi kung paano matutulungan ang mga magsasakang apektado sa pagtaas na presyo ng abono,” the President said in a post.
“Ang hakbang na ito ay bahagi ng ating pakikipag-ugnayan sa pribadong sektor upang marinig ang boses ng mga kabilang sa ating sektor ng agrikultura. Kaugnay nito, isasailalim natin sa masusing pag-aaral ang mga naging suhestiyon ng nasabing kumpanya,” he said. (PND)
