Leyte extends P2.2M production loans to 136 farmers affected by torrential rains in Palo town

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 16, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Farmers In Palo, Leyte can immediately start the rehabilitation of their rice fields that were destroyed in the latest flooding wrought by continuous heavy rains in Eastern Visayas.

This, as no less than Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla and Palo Mayor Remedios L. Petilla distributed on January 15, 2011 at the Palo Gym, production loans amounting to P2.2 Million to about 136 farmers of the municipality of Palo who were affected by torrential rains that wrought destruction to crops in the early days of 2011.

In order to help the farmers who are taking the toll caused by the hammering rains early this year, the Provincial Government of Leyte under the leadership of Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, expanded its Increased Crop Output through Rural Infrastructure and Community Empowerment (ICOTRICE) Program to the town of Palo, one of the top rice-producing areas of the province.

The ICOT-RICE is part of Leyte province’s rice productivity and sufficiency strategy wherein production loans are extended to farmers in the amount of P15,000 per hectare to cover the cost of seeds, fertilizers, labor, pesticides and insurance.

In return, Mayor Petila said, the farmers would pay back their loans with good quality palay, computed on the prevailing market price and P1 higher.

This project has been designed to spur farmers’ participation in the local government’s rice production enhancement program.

For his part, Governor Petilla said, “there are so many rice producing towns that have been clamoring for the ICOT-Rice Program to be brought to their place, but we are doing the expansion one town at a time.”

Among the local government units clamoring to avail of the program, after seeing its successful implementation in the pilot area of Sta. Fe town, are Palo, Carigara, Leyte, Hindang and Hilongos, Governor Petilla said.

Governor Petilla said the ICOT-RICE is actually part of the province’s rice production enhancement program. The difference is that instead of just providing the farmers with the seeds and other farm inputs, they are provided with financial support that they can pay later with their harvests, which the province would also buy from them.