LEGAZPI CITY, April 4 -- The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Bicol is now preparing for the implementation of the contract farming program that will benefit more than 1,200 farmers belonging to 21 irrigators associations (IAs) in two provinces in the Bicol Region.

In an interview on Thursday, Ma. Cleofe Baraero, NIA-Bicol information officer, said the contract farming program aims to increase rice buffer stocks in the region by assisting the farmers with farm inputs of PHP50,000 for every tilted hectare.

"The farmers beneficiaries for this program will not receive cash but farm inputs worth PHP50,000. This includes but is not limited to seeds, fertilizers, and their insurance. It will be based on the needs of the farmers. Th...