THE seed program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be further boosted after it partnered anew with the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), which aims to extend the best services and support to Filipino farmers in order to improve and increase their farm production.

DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said that the agency had developed a longstanding and fruitful partnership with the NSIC over the years as the latter has supported the government’s operation that has benefitted 1.6 million rice farmers, 692 corn growers, and 100,000 individual farmers.

Panganiban added that with the alliance with the group, the agency has also maintained granary research and increased agricultural production and income of farmers.

In his message during the opening ceremony of the 5th National Seed Summit last Monday, Panganiban announced that the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) is gearing up for a special program that will develop the National Seed Industry Development Program.

“The main purpose of this undertaking is to provide swift action and immediate relief for both farmers and consumers as the country grapples with converging prices. This new program presents logical and useful steps in our continuing and various efforts to ensure national food security for Filipinos,” he said.

Panganiban said the seed program will strengthen the NSIC’s five fundamental goals: to bring and develop and maintain improved varieties that are suitable for low and high output; to multiply and distribute a sufficient supply of good quality seeds of high yielding varieties that are resistant to disease and insect; to promote farmers acceptance in this improve varieties of seeds; to support the development of the public and private sector through research, training, and special finance services to Filipino farmers; and to promote appropriate technology by providing training and technical support in seed production all over the country.

He also urged the local government, business sectors, academe, and individual farmers to take part in this initiative.

Also, during the event, Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, highlighted the importance of providing high-quality seeds to farmers.

She cited a study from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which states that the seed system is “one of the pillars” of agricultural development and food security.

“Continuous production and development of seed are necessary because the availability of quality seeds is the key to successful farming, which results in increased production and income for farmers. Good seeds play an important role in maintaining the resistance to pest diseases and climate change,” Villar said.

She added that these are the reasons why, during the discussion of the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget, she called for a P100 million increase in the funding of five DA-BPI centers that will serve as a development hub for high-quality vegetable and fruit seeds.

The centers, to be built in Baguio, Los Baños, La Granja and Guimaras, Iloilo, and Davao City, will equip seed growers’ necessary skills and knowledge to develop high-quality seeds, which they can share with farmers.

The senator also expressed support for revisiting the 1992 National Seed Industry Development Plan and urged the Bureau of Investment (BOI) to create policy guidelines that will make the seed industry a preferred area of investment.

She also asked the private sector to cooperate with the government agency.

For yellow corn, Villar urged the participants of the summit to help seed growers to improve the currently available varieties to enable it to compete in the market, which is predominantly imported.

The NSIC and the Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) organized the two-day summit wherein it was attended by participants from the academe, private seed companies, farmers and seed growers, the government sector, and other key industry players.

They discussed some urgent issues and challenges affecting the sector, exchanged best practices, and learned about the newest innovations and developments in the seed industry.