NorCot farmers get inorganic fertililzers from OPAg

KIDAPAWAN CITY -– A total of 603 farmers in four municipalities and a city in North Cotabato received inorganic fertilizers from the office of the provincial agriculturist Wednesday.The beneficiaries were members of Small Water Impounding System Association (SWISA) in the towns of Matalam, Midsayap, Aleosan Pigcawayan and Kidapawan City, according to provincial agriculturist Eliseo Mangliwan.Each farmer owns at least one hectare or more of farmland.Mangliwan said funds used for the inorganic fertilizer dispersal were taken from the amount won by the provincial government from the Department of Agriculture Agri-Pinoy Rice Achievers’ Awards last year.Last March 2014, North Cotabato was chosen as one of the leading rice producing provinces in the country and received Php4 million worth of cash award.On order of Gov. Emmylou Mendoza, the provincial agriculture office used the funds to buy inorganic fertilizer to support rice farmers and improve the livelihood of farmers who are all members of SWISA.Recipient of the fertilizer distribution were 77 farmers from Barangay Central Bulanan, Midsayap town, 163 farmers from Barangay Kabulacan, Matalam town, 51 in Barangay Dualing, Aleosan, 192 in Barangay Malagakit, Pigcawayan town and 120 farmers in Kidapawan City.Mendoza urged farmer beneficiaries to make use of the fertilizer to improve their productivity and livelihood.