Antique: The Department of Agriculture (DA) is currently distributing 45,730 bags of hybrid and inbred seeds to farmers in Antique for the upcoming dry season. The DA’s Agricultural Program Coordinating Office (APCO) in Antique, led by Sonie Guanco, confirmed that they received 7,600 bags of hybrid rice seeds and 38,130 bags of inbred seeds from the DA – Philippine Rice Research Institute on September 16. This initiative is part of the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program.

According to Philippines News Agency, the seeds are being distributed through local government units or municipal agriculture officers to ensure that farmers have access to the necessary planting materials for the dry cropping season. Each hectare planted with hybrid rice seeds is expected to yield 200 bags during harvest, with each farmer receiving 15 kilograms of seeds per hectare. These seeds are accompanied by essential farm inputs such as fertilizers.

The towns of Hamtic, San Jose de Buenavista, Sibalom, Belison, Patnongon, and Bugasong are participating in the hybrid seed planting due to their adequate water supply, even during the dry season. Meanwhile, inbred seeds are being distributed across 18 towns in the province, with each farmer receiving 25 kilograms. These inbred seeds are projected to produce 150 cavans per hectare, covering a total of 19,865 hectares of rice land.