AGRI firm Corteva Agriscience distributed rice and corn seeds to 2,000 farmers across the Philippines to help the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Plant, Plant, Plant program.
The company said such contribution of seeds should result in approximately P80 million gross revenue for rural farming communities and additional yields of up to 3,750 metric tons (MT) of corn and 1,800 MT of rice which will help feed an additional 20,000 people.
“At this crucial time, we need to avoid a food crisis by ensuring the continuity of the food supply chain. As our health officials lead the fight against COVID-19, we see it as our duty as a leading agriculture company to support the fight against the threat of hunger,” Arun Mittal, Corteva country director, said in a statement.
Corteva said since the start of the enhanced community quarantine, it has worked to ensure safe and continuous operations of its Luzon and Mindanao facilities including its research and development stations to supply high-quality hybrid rice and corn seeds.
Last year, the company also collaborated with the DA to establish 80 educational farms across 40 municipalities covering 50,000 hectares to provide training centers for farmer leaders with season-long field and in-classroom training.
The project covered land and seed preparation to marketing and financial management, and was expected to cause an additional 50,000 MT of rice and 18,500 MT of corn for those who joined the program.
