BUTUAN City — Due to the low production of corn in 2011, the Provincial Agriculture
Office (PAO) of Agusan del Norte is set to distribute hybrid palay and corn seeds to farmers in the province.

According to PAO chief Maria Abastillas, this move is to help the farmers in the province to increase their rice and corn production this year.

Abastillas also said this will help the farmers increase their income, especially if the province will experience good weather compared to the previous year.

The PAO chief said some 86 bags of hybrid rice and 138 bags of corn seeds are set to be distributed to ensure that farmers will have an early harvest.

In an earlier interview, the official said they were not able to achieve their target of planting 4,710 hectares of corn, and instead, they were only able to plant some 4,574.5 hectares due to the series of flooding experienced by the province in 2011.

Abastillas also said that out of the 4,710 hectares planted, only 3,467.8 hectares of which were successfully harvested.

The official said the distribution of the aid hybrid palay and corn seeds are part of the program of the provincial government on farming and agriculture development.