IRRI donates additional 6 tons of seeds of high-quality rice varieties for farmers in Yolanda-stricken areas

IRRI, in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Rice Program Secretariat, turned over 6 tons of seeds of high-yielding rice varieties to the Department of Agriculture earlier today.  The donation, a component of IRRI’s ongoing support to the Philippine Government’s disaster response efforts, will be used for seed multiplication to help farmers in areas devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda that hit the central region of the country in November 2013.

The seeds will be delivered to seed growers and members of the Irrigators Association and the Community Seed Bank Cooperatives in Leyte and Samar. To be sown during the dry season for seed production, all seeds produced will be distributed to affected farmers in time for the coming wet season cropping.

 “Seeds are basic to the life of farmers. They need these seeds to rebuild their livelihood.” says Santiago Obien, senior technical adviser of the National Rice Program. Dr. Obien thanked IRRI during the ceremonial turnover of the second batch of high-yielding and newly released rice seeds at the IRRI Experiment Station on 8 January 2014.

The initial 1.6 tons of rice seeds was turned over on 9 December 2013. A third batch, for seed multiplication in Hamangaya, Jaro in Iloilo, will be handed over later this month.

The seed donations were arranged by IRRI’s Partnerships Office with the help of the Institute’s Experiment Station, which prepared the seeds.

From left to right: Department of Agriculture official Dr. Santiago Obien, IRRI's Julian Lapitan, 

DA's Dr. Edmund Sana,  Carlito Balingbing of IRRI experiment station, and  Dr. Bruce Tolentino, 

IRRI’s deputy director general of communications and partnerships, join in loading 

quality rice seeds for  farmers in Yolanda-stricken areas in Region 8.

Photo of turnover: IRRI Yolanda Donation 2014


Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).