DA-7 readies corn seeds as planting season nears

In preparation for the planting season, the Department of Agriculture-7 announced that it has started to position its corn seeds in different provinces in Central Visayas.

DA-7 Director Salvador Diputado said that the positioning of corn seeds needs to be done now that rains have already poured in some parts of the region.

“We need to ensure that food production will continue despite this pandemic. The uniqueness of our region as an island provinces compared with other regions which are land-based provinces is it has its disadvantages, especially in the movements of activities, but by any means, we need to provide the timely distribution of intervention,” Diputado said in a statement.

As of now, the corn seeds, Diputado said, are already in the respective provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor through the DA7’s Provincial Agricultural Technology Coordinating Offices (PATCOs).

Norberto Ouano, DA-7’s corn and cassava program coordinator, said the distribution of corn seeds is in preparation for the wet season planting.

Ouano said that under the program, the agency is procuring additional corn seeds and fertilizers to support the corn farmers affected by the pandemic.

Ouano said that Bohol province, before the pandemic, already received 500 bags of OPV white corn seeds and 500 bags of conventional yellow corn hybrid seeds.

For Cebu province, a total of 1,040 bags of OPV white corn seeds, 501 bags of conventional hybrid yellow corn seeds, and 224 bags of GM hybrid yellow corn seeds have been allocated.

Negros Oriental’s allocation includes a total of 410 bags of OPV white corn seeds, 500 bags of conventional hybrid yellow corn seeds, and 50 bags of GM hybrid yellow corn seeds.

Finally, Siquijor got 100 bags of OPV white corn seeds and 20 bags of conventional hybrid yellow corn seeds.

The respective PATCOs, together with the Provincial Agriculture offices, will distribute these seeds to the different municipalities of the four provinces.

Ouano emphasized that of the four provinces, Cebu has the biggest share of corn seeds because Cebu is a corn area and Cebuanos are corn eaters.

DA-7 said the distribution of corn seeds is one of the interventions of the Corn Program that aims to increase corn production in the region. —