Farmers, hog raisers receive assistance to boost productivity

Farmers and hog raisers in Murcia received recently a package of cash incentive and agricultural services aimed at boosting their productivity.

Gov. Eugenio “Bong” Lacson, together with Murcia Mayor Gerry Rojas and other Murcia officials, led the distribution of cash incentives to 181 rice farmers from Murcia.

The governor explained that the incentives, dubbed as Quick Turn Around or Early Planting Incentive Project, provides cash incentives to farmers engaged in early planting from April to May as support to rice requirements in the province during the off-milling season, particularly during the height of the pandemic.

The qualified farmers received P2,000.00 incentive per hectare that they have planted, depending on the area of rice farm they have cultivated during the covered period.

For Murcia, a total of 234 farmers, including beneficiaries who received their incentives earlier, have received a total of P252,720.00 from the program.

“Murcia is primarily an agricultural area. As such, providing assistance to our farmers, hog raisers and other food producers is a top priority of my administration. Murcia’s financial resources might be limited, but we will always tap other government agencies and instrumentalities in seeking additional assistance for our agriculture sector,” said Mayor Rojas.

After the cash distribution at the town’s covered court, Gov. Lacson, Mayor Rojas and other provincial and municipal officials proceeded to Purok Shell, Brgy. Salvacion for the inauguration and turn-over of the Swine Artificial Insemination Center, and then to Smile Village in the same barangay for the inauguration and MOA signing of the Abanse Negrense District Animal Health Center, the only such animal health center in the Third District of the province.

Murcia Agriculturist Dennis Garzon disclosed that the Provincial Veterinarian’s Office (PVO) has turned over a top-breed boar which will produce the genetically-improved material for artificial insemination, as well as the cold storage facilities for the material. Murcia will also send additional staff to train as artificial inseminators.

A veterinarian from the PVO will man the animal health clinic and accept consultations two days every week. The center will charge an affordable regulated fee to its services, and the fee will be divided 60% for Murcia and 40% for the province, which will provide the vaccines, antibiotics and other medicines for the animals, Garzon added.

Moreover, Gov. Lacson and Mayor Rojas led the blessing and inauguration of the Brgy. Salvacion Farmers and Hog Raisers Association meatshop, and the distribution to farmers of free range chicken, veterinary supplies and planting materials for napier and madre de agua, which are used as feedstock for ruminants.* (Butch Bacaoco)