The Office of the Department of Agriculture Binalonan on Dec. 12 conducted an initial distribution of Wednesday sacks of fertilizer and bags of hybrid corn seeds to farmer beneficiaries from the different barangays of Binalonan.
Through a loan scheme under the Binalonan Corn Production Assistance Program, every farmer beneficiary received four sacks of triple 14 fertilizer and two bags of Bt/GT hybrid corn seeds amounting to Php15,200.
The price of the whole package is more affordable compared to the prices by agricultural supply stores.
Five months after the granting of the loan, a borrower has to pay Php16,200 inclusive of cost of money to the Municipal Treasurer’s Office.
Available for distribution to qualified beneficiaries are 524 sacks of fertilizer and 262 bags of hybrid corn seeds which were purchased using the Php2 million cash prize won by Binalonan as Hall of Famer in the National Corn Achievers Award.
It can be recalled that Binalonan won the national award in corn production for three consecutive years declaring the municipality a Hall of Famer.
Present during the distribution were Municipal Agriculturist Ricardo Tabuac, Municipal Corn Coordinator; Manuel Iluis, Jr, and Agricultural Technologist Imelda Aradanas .
Also present were Teresita Dacpano, head of the Press and Publication Office of Binalonan; Jay Layco, president of Binalonan Federation of Farmers Association Ang Galing Inc. and Julius Munoz of Syngenta.
The distribution of the farm inputs was through the support of Mayor Ramon Guico III, Vice Mayor Melicio Patague II and the Sangguniang Bayan Members.