Additional agricultural support worth Php 25.3M were provided by the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 1, this time to farmers in the First District of Ilocos Sur.

Under the DA’s rice program, 675 individual farmers from the municipalities of Bantay, Cabugao, Caoayan, Magsingal, San Ildefonso, San Juan, San Vicente, Santa Catalina, Santo Domingo, Sinait, and Vigan claimed their Php 5,000 cash assistance under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance.

The members of the Borparluna Irrigators Association Inc. from Santo Domingo were provided with two units of hand tractors.

Corn farmers, meanwhile, were given farm inputs such as hybrid yellow corn seeds, OPV white corn, urea fertilizer, and Bio-N fertilizer, including pump and engine sets, totaling Php 18.63 million.

Farmers Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) identified as beneficiaries for these interventions were the Sinait Municipal Corn Growers Association Inc., Macabiag Katipunan Irrigators Association Inc., Sto. Domingo Corn Farmers Growers and Stakeholders Association Inc., Arangkada Borobor Farmers Association Inc., Vigan City Corn Cluster Farmers Association Inc., Sta. Catalina Corn Cluster Association, Magsingal North Corn Cluster Association Inc., San Ildefonso Corn Cluster Association Inc., Bantay-San Ildefonso-Sto. Domingo Irrigators Association, Tignay San Vicente Corn Growers Farmers Association, Eastern Cabugao Corn Cluster Association, Caoayan East Corn Cluster, and Bantay Ilocos Sur Federated Farmers Association Inc.

Moreover, 15 FCAs cultivating high-value crops received plastic crates, foliar fertilizers, complete fertilizers, and fungicides valued at Php 1.2 million.

Recipients of these farm supplies were Farmers and Farmworkers of An-annam Bantay Inc., Dur-as Farmers and Farmworkers of Tay-ac Association Inc., Barangay Bungro Farmers Association Inc., Cabugao Mango Farmers Multi-Purpose Association, Barangay Bungro, Barangay Burubor, Sto. Domingo High-Value Crops Producer Association Inc., Barangay Anonang Menor, Pantay Onion Producers Cooperative, Pacis Organic Farmers Group Inc., Sinait Mango Growers Association, Sta. Catalina Federated Farmers Association Inc., Lapog Mango Growers Association, Agrimat Magsingal Mango Stakeholders Association Inc., and San Vicente Mango Growers Association.

Providing support to organic farmers, the Ilocos Sur Provincial Organic Producers Association Inc. were likewise provided with plastic drums.

Similarly, through DA’s locally-funded special projects – the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program and Special Area for Agricultural Development Program, various interventions such as plastic crates, botanical pesticides, complete fertilizers, foliar fertilizers, granular urea, upgraded cattle, and plastic drums were handed to two FCAS.

These were the Royal Maharlika Farmers Association from the municipality of Bantay and Paratong Farmers Association Inc. from Sta. Catalina.

Gracing the distribution ceremony were DA-RFO1 Regional Technical Director for Operations Engr. Dennis I. Tactac, Ilocos Sur 1st District Congressman Hon. Ronald V. Singson, Ilocos Sur Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member Hon. Efren A. Rafanan, Sr., DA-RFO1 Agricultural Program Coordinating Office for Ilocos Sur Mr. Jomar B. Dayap, and DA-RFO1 Ilocos Sur Research and Experiment Center Chief Mr. Mark Ariel Agressor.

The activity was held on Monday, April 29, at the DA-RFO1 Ilocos Sur Experiment Center in San Juan, Ilocos Sur.