MORE NEWS, PANGASINAN

Farmers expanding planting areas

VILLASIS, Pangasinan -- Farmers here are now expanding their palay-planting areas with the prevailing buying price of palay at P17.50 per kilo.

The farmers are now preparing for the next planting season, noting the prospects of higher palay prices.

However, the farmers are calling on the government to implement its fertilizer-subsidy program.

Farmer Michael Morden said the palay price in Villasis is high at P17.50.

He said the farmers usually do not use the recommended levels of application for fertilizers due to the high cost of fertilizers, and this is where the government could come in.

The government can help the farmers by subsidizing the fertilizer needs of the farmers, he said.

In Umingan, Pangasinan, Fernando Onia said that the farmers are selling at P17.50 per kilo.

In Bauang, La Union, Casuga said as of March 28, the buying price of palay was P17.60 per kilo.

Farther north in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, Arlene Rapanut buys palay at P17.50 per kilo. Mr. Lucas of Santiago, Isabela says palay is being bought at P17.50 per kilo.

These farmers are elated over the relatively high prices of palay.

The high prices of palay, compared to those of the last harvest season, are now major consideration of farmers to step up palay growing.

Farmers usually keep 20-30 percent of their harvest for family consumption, and the remaining volume is sold at the market.

But they are hampered by the high cost of inputs, particularly fertilizer.

Because of this obstacle, rice farmers in Pangasinan issued a call for government to put in place a fertilizer subsidy program to help them keep up with increased cost of inputs.

The call was aired last Saturday by the Kapuso Multi-Purpose Cooperative and the Pangasinan Agricultural Farmers Council in Lingayen.

Morden, Kapuso MPC chairman, said the farmers can supply the rice needs of the people if the government uses just a part of its R60-billion budget for rice importation this year for the subsidy program.

The prevailing practice calls for the application of additional two bags of nitrogen-based fertilizer, and this would result in an additional two tons in palay yield per hectare.

The application of nitrogen-based fertilizer according to recommended levels resulting in increased yield per hectare was also confirmed by Nestor Batalia, Pangasinan provincial rice coordinator.

The average production of rice in Pangasinan is 4.4 tons per hectare, Batalia added. – Jerry Padilla