Batac
CITY—Some 3.5 hectares in Mariano Marcos
State University main campus are now being prepared for the planting of
foundation rice seeds for the eventual production of certified seeds to be
distributed to Ilocos Norte farmers who may want to avail of the university’s
rice seed dispersal project (RSDP) in the next few years.
The university, through the
Extension Directorate, has bought 20 kilos each of PSB Rc82, NSIC Rc160, and
NSICF Rc242; and 10 kilos of PSB Rc18 from PhilRice and these will be planted
in strategic sites of the university’s production farms starting this month.
Foundation seeds will produce registered seeds, which will be again planted to
produce certified seeds.
Certified rice seeds are seeds
being distributed to farmer-beneficiaries through the RSDP, which is one of MMSU
Extension Directorate’s flagship programs.
According to Mercy Gaño of
the extension directorate, the RSDP initiates widespread adoption of
newly-developed and seedboard-released rice seeds. It aims to draw
in people to invest in high quality rice seeds which they can get the maximum
yield potential from them. It mainly addresses the slow-paced acquisition of
certified rice seeds from other reputable institutions which have the same
programs in line with food security.
Aside from the farmers who
are the direct beneficiaries of the certified seeds that will be produced, the
farms also serve as technology demonstration areas to showcase the proper
cultural management practices in rice from sowing to postharvest handling of
clean seeds.
Accredited as producer of
high quality rice seeds in the province, MMSU is continually providing steady
and sustainable seed materials not only for Ilocos Norte farmers but also those
from nearby provinces, including government agencies and private seed
growers.
Started in the 1980s, the
RSDP’s scheme integrates other development strategies such as crop insurance,
financial counter-parting with farmer-cooperators, bio-organic farming,
participatory monitoring and evaluation, marketing assistance, and inter-crop
loan repayment plan, among others. The project provides interest-free loan of
quality rice seeds to farmers who will also return the corresponding and
proportionate seed materials after their first harvest.
With the support of MMSU
Pres. Miriam E. Pascua, the program is intensified further because of its
positive impacts to the lives of farmers as manifested in their increased
knowledge in profitable farming and their developed responsibilities in
environmental protection and conservation, enhanced self-confidence in the use
of improved farm practices, and built leadership capabilities in leading other
farmers in their locality.
Farmers are assured of
quality certified seeds from MMSU because the Seed Quality Control Services of
DA conducts seed quality testing and tagging just after harvest before the
seeds are dispersed to interested beneficiaries who have undergone
pre-dispersal trainings, an activity pre-requisite to become cooperators of the
project.
Among other things, the
pre-dispersal training equips the farmers the mechanics of crop insurance which
is one of the most important requirements of the project. Crop insurance is a
mechanism of providing protection and assistance to cooperators in the face of
natural calamities and uncertainties.
Usually, the university
conducts a field day before harvesting the rice crops in the production farms.
This is one way of disseminating the result of the innovative development
project, and to expose the farmer- cooperators into the actual conditions of
the rice varieties that were planted.
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