The Department of Agriculture said it has distributed various vegetable seeds not only in Zamboanga City, but in the entire western Mindanao region as part of its program.
Most of the seedlings come from Pagadian City where the regional office of Department of Agriculture is located. They are immediately transported to the different parts of Zamboanga Peninsula for distribution.
These seedlings come in packs or sachets depending on the amount of seeds they carry. Some of these are seeds of okra, cauliflower, carrot, radish, water spinach or popularly known as “kang-kong” and Chinese cabbage, among others.
Laboratory technician Lucinda D.R. Telmo said the seeds are given out for free and to anyone who wishes to have their own backyard vegetable garden. She said many of the seedlings are also given out to state-run elementary and high schools so students can have their vegetable gardens.
“The good thing about this is vegetables provide a lot of health benefits to our body and they are cheap and easy to maintain. Everybody can have their own organic vegetable gardens right in their own backyard, and even in terracotta pots. So we urge everybody to start their own vegetable garden,” she told the Mindanao Examiner. (Marvin Saradat and Carlissa Horcerada)
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