TACLOBAN CITY – A total of 297 registered rice farmers in Borongan City are set to receive rice seedlings directly at their doorsteps through the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Binhi e-Padala program, facilitated by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
On October 25, 2024, the DA conducted cross matching with its records to verify the farmers’ information, ensuring that the rice seedlings will be delivered to the correct addresses. This process also confirmed the accuracy of the contact numbers provided by the farmers in the registry.
Unlike previous distributions where farmers had to travel to the city proper to collect their seedlings, the Binhi e-Padala program allows for direct delivery to their homes.
City Agricultural Technologist Gerardo Bula stated that the rice farmers are scheduled to receive their seedlings next week, as part of a pilot test of this delivery system in Borongan.
Through Binhi e-Padala, qualified farmers will receive an SMS notification containing their name, seedling allocation, pick-up point, and schedule. Each registered rice farmer is eligible to receive 20 kg of inbred rice seeds for every half-hectare of farmland.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
