TANAUAN, Leyte: Rice seeds were distributed on Wednesday to farmers from 40 barangay (villages) of this municipality in order to boost rice production and help them recover from economic hardships brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Tanauan Mayor Pelagio Tecson Jr. and wife Penelope Tecson, assisted by Councilor Archie Kapunan and municipal agriculturist Nick Liberato led in the distribution of the free rice seeds held at the Tanauan Civic Center. Tecson told the rice farmers they were no longer beneficiaries of free rice seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute or PhilRice, but he said he was able to convince the Department of Agriculture in Eastern Visayas the seeds were needed by the rice farmers especially during the pandemic. Liberato said the free rice seeds, which cost more than P1,000 per sack, will enable the rice farmers to continue with rice production.
