LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The committee on agriculture of the Pangasinan provincial board will investigate supposed certified corn seeds sold to farmers in certain towns that were defective and which cobs yielded just a few grains.
The investigation stemmed from the privilege speech of second district board member Raul Sison on Monday, informing that farmers from his district who bought the certified corn seed variety DEKALB 6999s were complaining that the corn plants yielded only few grains in their cobs.
He said farmers from Urbiztondo, Mangatarem, Basista and even San Carlos City came to him, saying that the DEKALB 6999s they bought from Monsanto Philippines, licensee of the corn seed variety, at PHP4,650 did not yield good result and left them with nothing to harvest.
The corn farmers told Sison the incident was like a calamity that struck them as they spent an average of PHP55,000 in cultivating one-hectare of corn land that was spent for tractor rental and labor as well as in drying grains of corn.
The farmers want a refund of their money from the company. Others want to claim for damages, he added.
Invited by the board in its next week's season are some complainants - farmers, some barangay captains, the provincial agriculturists, municipal agriculturists of Urbioztondo, Mangatarem and Basista as well as local distributors of DEKALB 6999s.
Sison asked: "Where will the farmers get money to pay for the loans that they have obtained for planting corn since their product did not get good result?"
Provincial Agriculturist Dalisay Moya told newsmen that a parallel investigation is now being conducted by her office with regard the incident as she called all the affected farmers to her office to discuss the matter.
She admitted that it is only this year that DEKALB 6999s certified corn seeds came out, adding that the previous certified corn seeds from Monsanto Philippines turned good yields.
She said in the old variety, the town of Urbiztondo was harvesting seven metric tons of corn per season. (PNA)
