THE MARIANO Marcos State University, through its Extension Services Unit, continually serves farmers by extending interest-free loan services under its Seed Dispersal Project (SDP).

For almost six years now since the SDP guidelines were revised to include an interest-free loan scheme, more farmer-recipients of the project no longer worry where to get additional cash to pay for loan interest in terms of seeds and farm inputs.  Aside from this, MMSU has been implementing low-cost but effective technologies to lessen farmers’ problems during rice planting season.
Use of organic fertilizer

High cost of inorganic/chemical fertilizers is one of the major problems of farmer-beneficiaries today.  To solve this, the Extension Directorate continually promotes the use of organic fertilizers.  This is a low-cost but effective technology to help farmers enhance the growth performance of their plants at the same time produce healthier fruits and increase nutritive value of their crops. Research has found also that rice applied with organic fertilizer is heavier.
Use of resistant varieties

Last year, the Extension Directorate, in cooperation with the Philippine Rice Research Institute, implemented fully the SEEDNET Project for the production of high- yielding and disease-resistant varieties for use in its dispersal project.  The produced rice varieties and their characteristics are the following:

PSB Rc 18 (ALA) – delicious and with high milling recovery; has a potential yield of 106-162 cavans/ha; can be harvested 123-130 days after sowing; PSB Rc 28 (Agno) – with soft rice; has a potential yield of 100-152 cavans/ha; resistant to blast but attacked by bacterial blight when there is excessive supply of nitrogen during rainy season; can be harvested 111-118 days after sowing; PSB Rc 82 (Peñaranda) – high milling recovery; has a potential yield of 108-240 cavans/ha; resistant to blast; can be harvested 110-117 days after sowing;

NSIC Rc 112 (Tubigan 2) – delicious and with high milling recovery; has a potential yield of 98-146 cavans/ha; attacked by blast during wet season; can be harvested 111-118 days after sowing; and NSIC Rc 122 (Angelica) – aromatic and with soft rice but low in milling recovery; has a potential yield of 100-140 cavans/ha; can be harvested 121-128 days after sowing.

Other rice varieties produced at MMSU are PSB Rc 14, PSB Rc 18, and IR 64.
Crop insurance

For three years now, the Extension Directorate has been coordinating with the Philippine Crop Insurance (PCIC) to help farmer-beneficiaries secure their crops from pests and diseases and calamities such as typhoon and drought.  In the last cropping season, crop damages handled by the crop insurance were valued at P26,350.

In case of crop damage, the farmer-beneficiaries should report immediately to MMSU the extent of damage.  MMSU will then evaluate and report damages to PCIC which will, in turn, validate these and pay the beneficiary according to the extent of damage. 
Availing the project

Farmer-beneficiaries, associations or zanjeras who have maintained good track record at MMSU can qualify for the project.

Every year, before farmers are able to withdraw the planting materials, they are required to attend a pre-dispersal training for them to be updated on the latest technologies on rice.

As of this rice planting season, P346,360 of rice seeds and farm-inputs have been dispersed benefiting 60 beneficiaries from various towns of Ilocos Norte.

Interested farmers who may want to avail of the project next cropping season must write the university president, Dr. Miriam E. Pascua, stating the exact location of their farm, its total area, and the varieties they want to plant.