OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental (PIA)—The Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental, through its Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) has intensified its efforts to help rice farmers in the province by boosting agricultural products and increasing the amount of rice production in the province.

Governor Henry Oaminal convened a series of meetings to provide a sustainable solution to the farmers' needs.

"Ang inyong provincial government ug municipal and city government naglantaw sa inyong kaayuhan ug duna kitay hingpit o kumpleto nga programa para sa atong mga mag-uuma. Ang tanang kinahanglan sa farmers para mo increase atong production ug muubos ang atong gasto," he said.

Oaminal also promised to give a reward to farmers who can produce six metric tons of rice. Part of the program is to purchase the rice from the farmers if the market price is too low.

The provincial government, through the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), started the distribution of seeds and urea fertilizers all throughout the province under the program of Oaminal’s rice farmers' full assistance.

The Department of Agriculture also made sure that the process went smoothly by assigning technical staff to each municipality to keep an eye on the distribution. These staff members watched the whole operation, from the merchants to the local chief executives (LCE), and made sure that the fertilizer was put on the rice fields.
Meanwhile, PAO Anna Cagaanan said their office started the Farmers’ Fora, February 2, to the municipalities and cities of the province to explain about the programs and consult the rice farmers on the rice planting schedule, and the type of fertilizer to be applied first depending on the results of the soil assessment so that they can submit the report to the PAO.

Cagaanan said that each farmer shall have two free bags of complete fertilizers and two bags of urea for one hectare, depending on the size of the area. She also stated that farmers should be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSSA) in order to have complete control over the status of their rice fields.

Cagaanan says the governor was worried about the right equipment in this province. So, they did an inventory of the towns and cities and found that they were missing some of the right equipment. Hence, part of the resolution is to have their LCEs write a letter of intent that will be submitted to the governor and then forwarded to PhilMech in order to provide a long-term resolution.

Cagaanan says that when farmers heard about the governor's program, the Rice Farmers Full Assistance (RFFA) Program, they were very happy. This is the first time that the province has given full support to farmers, so they were very happy.With the program, everything will be covered, from the process of planting up to harvesting.

Misamis Occidental's RFFA program would help 9,500 qualified rice farmers in Ozamiz, Tangub, Oroquieta, Clarin, Panaon, Jimenez, Tudela, Lopez Jaena, Aloran, Sinacaban, Baliangao, Bonifacio, Calamba, Concepcion, Sapang Dalaga, and Plaridel. These farmers live in the cities of Ozamiz, Tangub, and Oroquieta. (PGMO/PIA-10/Misamis Occidental)