Palawan seeks DA's help on corn procurement
The provincial board is seeking the help of the agriculture department and the National Food Authority (NFA) in the inclusion of corn in the procurement of rice this year. Board member Albert Rama said DA Sec. Manny Piñol and NFA administrator Tomas Escarez can help in Palawan’s overall goal of developing the corn industry, as well as food security and feeds for livestock and poultry. He said it further aims to alleviate poverty and rational utilization of resources since corn production is one of the banner agricultural programs of the DA. “Ngayon kasi ang commodity lang na binibili ng NFA ay bigas o palay. Samantalang sa ngayon ay marami tayong pwedeng produksyon sa Palawan. Tumigil lang naman halos ang produksyon kasi mababa ang presyo at walang market. Hinihiling natin na isama ‘yan sa procurement ng NFA,” he said. Rama added that to support the DA in the production of corn, the provincial government through the Office of Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) has allotted an amount for the purpose in Palawan. Through a provincial government initiative, farmers have now increased their production by six to eight tons per hectare after providing them the DeKalb 6919S. DeKalb 6919S is a hybrid corn seed variety that has “germplasm” that makes the crop drought-resistant and cannot be easily attacked by pests. “Malaki kasi ang pwedeng maging produksyon ng mais sa Palawan at kung mamimili pa ang NFA ng corn marami ang pwedeng magtanim at makinabang,” he added.