As of May 7, 2020 a total of 332.8 kgs of seeds, and 16,240 seedlings of assorted vegetables with a total worth of P3,341,734.50 has been distributed entire the Ilocos Region by the Department of Agriculture- Regional Field Office I thru the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) as more people are encouraged to embrace DA’s campaign on Urban Agriculture which is among the projects being pursued under the Plant Plant Plant program of the national government.

Keen on not only ‘feeding the people’ but more importantly teach them to plant and be able to grow their own food in their backyards, DA-RFO I continue to intensify its campaign on Urban Agriculture.

Around 1,694 individuals/households and 339 groups benefitted from the free seeds distributed and which continue to increase daily seing the benefits of having their own source of fresh vegetables that can help them survive the challenge of limited access to markets during the imposed community quarantine due to COVID-19.

At the DA’s Ilocos Norte Research & Experiment Center (INREC) in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, a total of 50 trays, 179 sachets/packs and 7 cans of various seedlings and seeds such as squash seedlings, ampalaya seedlings, finger pepper, eggplant seedlings, pechay, sitao seeds, and okra seeds were distributed to the Local Government Units of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, among others.

Meanwhile, the Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan also distributed a total of 250 cans of seeds consisting of pepper hot hybrid, ampalaya, upo, patola, tomato, eggplant; 35 packs of seeds such as pechay, kangkong, sitao; and 68 seedling trays of various vegetables to nine (9) LGUs of Pangasinan which include the City of Alaminos and the municipalities of Burgos, Agno, Dasol, Mabini, Balangao, Tayug, San Nicolas, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara and to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Dagupan City, Pangasinan.

Having their own vegetable seedling production nurseries, the research and experiment centers of DA in PREC and INREC are inviting other individuals to get their share of free vegetable seedlings and be part of the government’s Plant Plant Plant program.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government through the Department of Agriculture has set its focus of making the country’s food supply sufficient thru the PPP program as it sees the threat of hunger as real as the threat of COVID-I9.//