Tacloban City – The Office of the City Agriculturist has recently launched the Plant Now, Pay Later Program, a farming assistance scheme which aims to assist the registered farmers associations of Tacloban City, as well as individuals who are members of these associations. Said program aims to enhance agricultural productivity and economic stability, eventually.

City Agri, being the “Quality Seed Provider” will not only provide the hybrid seeds and seedings like, watermelon (red and orange delight), royal variety of sweet corn, red lady papaya, ampalaya, pipino, pechay (taiwan variety), etc., but will also provide technical assistance and supervision to Farmers Association (FA) Beneficiary. The office will also give marketing assistance to the FA Beneficiaries thru the provision of a marketing space/stall for direct selling of the products.

Meanwhile, “payment in kind” during the peak of harvest will apply to replace the hybrid seeds lent to the FA Beneficiaries. This means that same kind/quality of hybrid seeds received will be returned to City Agri to accommodate more beneficiaries in the future.

According to City Agri Department Head Dr. Alfredo “Boy” Camposano, Taclobanon farmers nowadays have become virtually knowledgeable on matured technologies , and this attracted them to hybrid seeds. This, along with Mayor Alfred Romualdez’ mandate to push the city-wide greening program and the economic stability program, inspired his office to conceptualize and implement the “plant now, pay later” scheme.

“Soon, Tacloban will be able to produce hybrid vegetables/ fruit vegetables that could compete with the products from Davao and other popular hybrid veggies/ fruit veggies-producing provinces, ” says Dr. Camposano.