The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued the supplemental guidelines for the distribution of fertilizer assistance for rice farmers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) starting this year’s cropping season under the National Rice Program.
Memorandum Order No. 45 series of 2023 signed by Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian and regional executive director Cameron Odsey last week, specifically set a price limit and the minimum requirements for the conduct of a caravan for fertilizers in the region.
The issuance serves as an additional guideline in DA’s provision of either discount vouchers that will be used by rice farmers to claim fertilizers at preferred accredited merchants or the direct procurement of fertilizers by DA regional field offices under an order that was issued last April.
DA said for CAR, the prevailing price as monitored by the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority at the time the merchant ordered the stocks from his or her distributor shall be used as base price as sellers are not allowed to add more than 6 percent of the prevailing or base price for profit margin and other incidental costs.
However, in the event a merchant is required by DA-CAR to distribute the fertilizers in areas outside the merchant store or warehouse, the merchant may add a delivery cost which should not be more than 50 percent of actual prevailing delivery cost being charged by public utility vehicles.
DA said the delivery cost shall also be certified by concerned municipal or city agriculturists as farmers may also seek the assistance of local government units in the hauling or delivery of inputs for distribution during caravans in the barangays.
Meanwhile, the latest DA issuance emphasized the conduct of caravans for the provision of fertilizers for qualified rice farmers should be in a barangay where majority of beneficiaries are residents or most accessible to other beneficiaries and must have a wide open space for delivery trucks apart from having buildings, facilities or natural shades for protection from rain or heat, among others.– Jed Macapagal
