DA Hopes That Fertilizer Vouchers Will Increase Rice Yield

The expanded implementation of the project under the National Rice Program would give fertilizer discount vouchers to accelerate initiatives to expand the production of rice.

This announcement of Malacañang comes after the Department of Agriculture (DA) released the updated guidelines on the implementation of the fertilizer discount voucher project.

In the amended Memorandum Order 65, Malacañang mentioned that the project will encompass regions that planted hybrid and inbred rice seeds, except for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the National Capital Region.

In this memorandum, the project will empower rice farmers to have access to urea fertilizer to be used for rice production.

This memorandum also looks to stabilize the rice supply of the country despite the increasing price of commercial fertilizers.

With the project, the eligible beneficiaries will be given fertilizer vouchers that can be used to obtain urea fertilizers to soften the potential effects of “underapplication of urea fertilizer [on] palay production and ultimately food security.”

The DA, as headed by President Marcos Jr., has mentioned that the fertilizer vouchers would provide an alternative for farmers to purchase an adequate amount of urea fertilizer needed for their rice fields.

The DA also made mentioned that the supplemental fund sourced from an unprogrammed regular agency fund over the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget had been tapped to allow farmers to reach the recommended urea fertilizer “thereby, securing rice production in the country.”

The funding will be utilized by beneficiaries to get discounts on the retail price of urea fertilizers.

Source: Business Mirror