The provincial government of La Union has distributed PHP1.7 million worth of agricultural inputs to 40 farmer groups in preparation for the upcoming wet cropping season.

Since April 18, the groups have been given 15 bags of urea (fertilizers), 20 bags of fertilizer called Complete, 10 bags of ammonium phosphate, five bags of muriate of potash, 50 bags of organic fertilizers, and five bottles each of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, the La Union Provincial Information Office said Friday.

The beneficiaries are from Bacnotan, Bangar, Luna, San Juan, Agoo, Bauang, Rosario, and Naguilian towns.

Aside from the farm input distribution, La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David, in a statement Friday, said the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAG) also conducted the La Union Clustered Hybrid Advocacy Mentoring Partnership (LU-CHAMP) Technology Demonstration, which aims to maximize the potential of different hybrid rice varieties and capacitate farmers as they foster innovation in their practices.

“We promised the farmers that the provincial government will continue to initiate programs to boost agriculture in the province and uplift the livelihood of the farmers,” she said in Filipino.

For one, the provincial government has a PHP3 million emergency trust fund that El Niño-affected registered farmers and fisherfolk can tap into.

“We have seen that first to be affected (by the dry spell) are farmers and fisherfolk so we have allocated funds for their insurance and farm equipment and vegetable seeds that are drought-resistant,” Ortega-David said.

These measures are aimed to bolster agricultural productivity and promote food sufficiency in the province and are aligned with La Union’s vision to be the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025, she added. (PNA)