The Department of Agriculture (DA) 13 (Caraga) has begun distributing PHP5,492,000 worth of vegetable seeds in the region.
In a statement released on Saturday, Marco Antonio Morido, coordinator of the DA-13 High-Value Crops Development Program, said the distribution aims to ensure a sufficient supply of food in the region.
A total of 687 kg. of various lowland and upland seeds were distributed to the municipal and city agriculture offices in the region starting Friday.
The distribution will also help vegetable farmers reduce their production costs.
“One factor that contributes to the high production cost of vegetable growers is the high price of inputs and one way we can address this is by providing them the seeds to lessen their expenses,” Morido said.
A total of 200 kg. of lowland vegetable seeds has been allocated to Surigao del Sur; Agusan del Sur (152 kg.); Agusan del Norte (128 kg.); Surigao del Norte (100 kg.); and the province of Dinagat Islands (70 kg.).
Separate allocations were provided for upland vegetable seeds with 14 kg. in Agusan del Norte; Surigao del Norte (13 Kg.); Surigao del Sur (9 kg.); and Agusan del Sur (1 kg.).
The lowland vegetable seeds include squash, eggplant, ampalaya, okra, and string beans while the highland vegetable seeds distributed were carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
“The bulk of the seeds for distribution are the lowland vegetable type since the majority of the areas developed for vegetable production in the region are in the lowlands. The lowland type is also quite suitable in the region,” Morido said.
He said the goal of the Philippine Vegetable Roadmap 2016-2022 is to increase the per capita consumption of vegetables from 40 kg. to 60 kg.
In Caraga, the most commonly consumed vegetables are eggplant with 4.91 kg. per capita per year, followed by squash with 4.23 kg. and bitter gourd with 2.13 kg., he added.
In the same statement, DA-13 Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo said among the priorities of the agency in the region is to support vegetable production as a means to increase the income of the farmers.
“Along with Caraga’s production volume, we are also advocating for increased vegetable consumption for healthier citizens, especially now that we are in the midst of a pandemic,” Monteagudo said.
He added that the DA-13 has three research experiment stations that are also producing planting materials for indigenous and open-pollinated vegetables (OPVs).
The OPVs produced by the research stations are also intended for distribution to farmers in the region.
Source: Philippines News Agency
