Fact-finding team to search low-grade certified rice seeds

 rice seeds DA Regional Seed Coordinator Edgar Baylon said a team composed offour was tasked to investigate the complaints of the farmers asregards the low germination rate of certified seeds provided by theWest Visayas Multi-Purpose and Seeds Producer Association. The fact-finding team is composed of Baylon as head; with members:Nemesio Argumento, head of the National Seed Quality ControlService, Ruperto Deysolong, agricultural program coordinator andJose Fajarillo. The creation of the fact-finding team is inresponse to the office order of DA regional director LarryNacionales. The fact-finding team will determine the real reasons for the lowgermination rate of the subject rice seeds. Baylon said two angles that would be looked into by the team are:whether the heavy and continuous rains affected the germinationrate; or the rice seeds already have low germination rate beforethey were planted. It was learned that DA and the West Visayas Multi-Purpose and SeedsProducer Association have already doubts about the germination rateof the certified rice seeds distributed to farmers as theyrequested for a laboratory test to check on the germination of thecertified rice seeds. The retest of rice seeds was made on April 23, 2008 on the oldstocks. The result of the retest yielded positive. The germinationrate was 85 percent and it was ready for distribution, said Baylon. The farmers started to plant for the wet season from second week ofMay. The germination rate of the rice seeds probably dropped beforethe planting period, said Baylon. The group went to the municipality of Dingle to validate thefarmers' complaint. Initially, they found out that there is a lowgermination rate of certified rice seeds in the rice paddies. Thereare also rice seeds that germinated inside the sack of certifiedseeds that the farmers returned to the office of the MunicipalAgriculture. The team is also set to visit the towns of Alimodian, Due?asand Sta. Barbara for further validation on the farmers complaint.Samples of alleged low quality rice seeds are stored in the town'srespective municipal agriculture office, said Baylon. Baylon said while the investigation is going on the equity of thefarmers will be returned to them. The GMA certified rice seeds is asubsidy program of the government where farmer beneficiaries onlypays portion of the total cost of the rice seeds.