By Marie Tonette Marticio
TACLOBAN City - In an effort to help farmers cope with the community quarantine being implemented due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Agriculture 8 is distributing seeds to local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas.
Francis Rosaroso, DA 8 information officer, said every municipality would be given 200 sets of mixed vegetable seeds such as okra, upo, patola, kangkong, and pechay through their High-Value Crops Development Program (HVDCP).
"This is to support the local farmers during the COVID-19 crisis, and to encourage the public to practice urban and backyard farming," he shared.
According to him, the assorted seeds were repacked in packets that may look small, but when sowed can provide a considerable harvest for household consumption.
He said that people may plant even on empty containers so the lack of space for gardening will not be an issue.
He added that instead of relying on ration of canned goods which are less nutritious, people may plant their own vegetables that could be harvested in a month's time.
"This is in line with the President's directive to ensure add-on supply of safe, fresh, nutritious, and quality food crops," he noted.
Rosaroso said that they will also entertain walk-in clients in their regional office who wish to avail of said high-value seeds on a first come first serve basis while their procurement for a much larger volume of seeds is on the process.