(Filed by 104.7 IFM Dagupan News) 

Rice price expected to increase due to El Niño 

HOUSEHOLDS in Dagupan City have reason to be apprehensive over an expected huge price increase of rice in weeks ahead because of the adverse impact El Niño on agriculture.

Rice traders are predicting the price of rice to increase because many farmers will not be able to plant palay on their unirrigated farms on account of the dry spell.

The price of rice already increased by P5 per kilo but traders and vendors are predicting the price to go up further in the next few weeks because of the expected short supply of the commodity.

*          *          *          *

Unemployment rate is down in Pangasinan-PESO

THE unemployment rate in Pangasinan today is lower, according to the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of Pangasinan.

Citing statistics, PESO said the working population in Pangasinan as of April reached 1,950,88 or 60 percent; 6,097 or 4.5 percent for the unemployed, and 158,319 or 12.9 percent for the underemployed.

Richelle Raguindin, chief of PESO Pangasinan, attributed the reduced unemployment rate to efforts of the Pangasinan provincial government headed by Gov. Ramon Guico III by holding more job fairs conducted by her office.

She said the job fairs are being held from town-to-town.

*          *          *          *

Farmers worry about water, high costs of inputs 

FARMERS in Pangasinan are moaning over the high costs of fertilizers, seeds pesticides and labor and availability of irrigation.

In many farmlands in Mangaldan, farmers worry about irrigation water as rainfall is getting fewer because of the coming El Nino phenomenon while farmers in Umingan, Rosales, Pozorrubio and Balungao, farmers are feeling the burden of coping with the high costs of fertilizers even if they obtained Fertilizer Discount Vouchers from the National Rice Program of the Department of Agriculture.

It can be recalled that the provincial government launched a Provincial Corporate Farming Program to help reduce the expenses of farmers and maximize the use of organic farm inputs.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments