ATI senior agriculturist, Nemielynn Pangilinan, asks for more details from one of the presenters during the 2018 Rice Achievers Awards Technical Paper Presentation (Provincial Category). (photo by Ashlee Canilang)
MAKATI CITY, Metro Manila—Local farmers in Isabela, who have a land area of one hectare or less, can now avail themselves of an interest-free loan through the Bojie-Rodito Opportunities (BRO) Livelihood Assistance for Marginalized Farmers.
This effort, spearheaded by the provincial government of Isabela, is among the 13 sub-programs of the BRO livelihood assistance for marginalized farmers. These aim to provide the best quality of life in the province which is a leading rice producer in the country.
This and other stories were shared during the 2018 Rice Achievers Awards (RAA) Technical Paper Presentation (Provincial Category) led by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).
A total of 95 representatives from the 20 qualifying provinces; attached agencies, bureaus, and regional field offices of the Department of Agriculture; and other agencies attended the activity.
The provinces of Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zamboanga del Sur are the nominees for Category A. This category is for provinces with production performance greater than or equal to 250,000 metric tons per hectare (MT/ha) and area harvested of 500,000 ha.
Meanwhile, Bataan, Camarines Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Kalinga, La Union, Lanao del Norte, and Sorsogon qualified for Category B. Under this category, provinces with production performance less than 250,000 MT/ha and area harvested of 25,000 ha are included.
Representatives from the local government unit (LGU) in each province shared their respective notable accomplishments; rice road maps; summaries of seed utilization; awards and recognition received; interventions, good practices, and innovations; lessons learned; and plans to achieve the targeted 5-7 MT/ha yield.
These presentations will be considered in the evaluation of the nominees. Winners will receive their award in a ceremony to be held in May, where five provinces will be selected from Category A and two from Category B.
ATI senior agriculturist and one of the RAA focal persons, Nemielynn Pangilinan, congratulated the 20 LGUs for their achievements which earned them, out of the 81 provinces in the country, the nomination in their respective categories.
The activity was held last March 4-7 in this city.