Legazpi: The Department of Agriculture-Bicol (DA-5) has PHP15 million in funds for agricultural drones under the National Rice Program to increase productivity in the region. In a radio interview, DA-5 spokesperson Lovella Guarin said the agricultural drones can be utilized for various farm operations such as rice seeding, fertilizer application, and pesticide spraying. "Normally, the traditional way of planting takes time, but with these agricultural drones, it can plant three hectares within an hour,' she said. Guarin said eligible farmers will be given vouchers for using the agricultural drones. A total of 7,600 hectares of rice fields in the region will be covered by the drone program. 'For Bicol, the priority was the 25 clustered rice areas with 100 hectares per cluster. They just need to submit a letter of intent with a list of eligible farmers in our office,' Guarin said. She said the distribution of vouchers will be through the local government units under the Registry System for the Basic Secto rs in Agriculture. 'A drone planting demo was conducted in Catanduanes during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s birthday (on Sept. 13). Our farmers have seen how fast and efficient the agricultural drone service is,' Guarin said. Source: Philippines News agency