Zamboanga del Sur awarded as Top 5 Rice Producer, Achievers Award 2017

Zamboanga del Sur awarded as 2017 Rice Achievers 
Awards (Photo provided by PPB)

By HIROHITO ‘jong’ D. CADION

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (June 2, 2018) – Once again the province of Zamboanga del Sur awarded as 2017 Rice Achievers Award and one of the Top 5 Rice Producer of the 81 provinces in the country. The province is a second timer recipient of the awards and as Outstanding Province, Provincial Information Officer Marivic Jongco disclosed in a press release Saturday.

The other four included in the awards at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on May 31 are the provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Ecija ug Bulacan.   

Jongco said, Governor Antonio H. Cerilles expressed his gratitude to the farmers of this province for their continues support and cooperation in adopting the implementation of agricultural program following new technology of farming that leads the awards.  

Gov. Cerilles together with Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Joel Sabellano Jr., Provincial Rice Focal Person Dante Lao-ay, Provincial Hi-breed Rice Coordinator Noel Peñalosa, Provincial Seed Inspector Carlito dela Cruz and Department of Agriculture Region-IX Regional Director Constancio Alama received the awards.

The province also received the amount of Php4-million as reward of the said accomplishment. Zamboanga del Sur is the only province in Mindanao received the said awards, she also said.

Record shows on 2016, Zamboanga del Sur has yielded average of 4.2 metric tons per hectare and in 2017 it increases to 4.7 metric tons per hectare or an increase of .27 percent. This province has 70-thousand metric tons surplus of rice production on 2017, Jongco added.

Jongco said that the administration of Governor Cerilles seriously implemented the organic farming and has a demonstration farm of rice and vegetables in different municipalities in the province.

Five years ago, Gov. Cerilles created the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial College in Aurora municipality that offers Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in order to encourage farmers to send their children the opportunities to avail of affordable tuition fees and good quality education through agriculture course, Jongco said.

She added that Gov. Cerilles created the agriculture college aims the farmers through their children to become a model in our community using their acquired knowledge in producing good agricultural production using technology of “Organic Farming.” (With Press Release from PBB)

Zamboanga del Sur awarded as 2017 Rice Achievers 
Awards (Photo provided by PPB)