Manila: Iloilo's provincial government will implement the System Enhancement for Rice to Booster, Increase and Sustain Gains Onwards (SERBISYO) starting in the second cropping this year to sustain the government's PHP20-per-kg. rice program. SERBISYO is a component of the 'SiPag at TiyaGa for MoRProGRes sa Bagong Pilipinas,' a convergence program of the government aimed at sustaining the agriculture sector and addressing malnutrition in the province.
According to Philippines News Agency, Geron Magbanua, chief of the crops division of the Provincial Agriculture's Office, stated that under SERBISYO, an input subsidy will be provided to farmers, which they will repay with their produce. The government's long-term plan is to establish a sustainable system to support production. Assistance like seeds, fertilizer, and machinery support from the provincial government will have a recovery cost.
Farmers will repay the subsidy in the form of palay, which will be directed to the Iloilo Rice Processing Center in Pototan town. One-third of the rice will be sold at PHP20 per kg., while the remaining two-thirds will be sold at a regular price. The profit generated from the regular price will cover the subsidy for the PHP20-per-kg. rice.
The second cropping is scheduled for the last quarter of this year, with harvest anticipated from January to February next year. This initiative will be piloted in the municipalities of Pototan, Zarraga, Dingle, Mina, and Cabatuan, covering approximately 3,000 to 4,000 hectares with a target production of 6 tons per hectare. The Department of Agriculture will supply hybrid seeds, with 150 to 350 hectares subsidized by the provincial government.
Magbanua also mentioned efforts to negotiate with the Department of Agriculture to recover a portion of their subsidy and use it as seed capital. Additionally, the provincial government plans to launch the PHP20-per-kg. rice program in August, targeting 9,534 households with malnourished children. Even with the national subsidy next year, SERBISYO will continue with the aim of achieving zero malnourished children in the province.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address, highlighted that the PHP20-per-kg. rice is achievable without compromising farmers' income and acknowledged the various support provided to farmers to enhance productivity.
