40T metric tons palay yield expected despite El Niño
Roxas City -- About 39,668 metric tons of palay harvest in Capiz is projected by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) provincial office for the April to June period despite prolonged dry spell brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.
BAS Provincial Agricultural Statistics Officer Eric Piansay revealed that only 7,286 hectares from the total 33,279 hectares of rainfed rice field areas have been planted for the period which is expected to generate an estimated 15,665 metric tons of palay.
The province has also 2,947 hectares of upland rice lands.
“About 46 percent of the 14,797 hectares of irrigated farm lands were also cultivated during the April to June quarter that will produce about 24,003 metric tons of palay,” said Piansay.
Department of Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap said the plight of small farmers for a greater profitability is the focus of the Arroyo administration which is embarking on a five-point program anchored on rural infrastructure build-up to keep the agricultural sector on high growth path.
Yap said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo aims to increase annual growth from the current average of 3%-4% to at least 5%-6% for the next decade, to ensure better living standards for rural families in the face of nagging "pressures" on farm production such as the vagaries of the weather, an ever growing population, environmental degradation, and the now increasing tension between the demand for crops for human consumption and for energy or biofuels.
To support President Arroyo's "call for greater profitability in agriculture, Yap said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing a five-point program, comprising higher public spending on (1) infrastructure, (2) technology and extension services, and (3) postharvest and storage facilities; (4) expanding access to rural credit; and (5) opening up new markets here and abroad for local produce.
(PIA/A.Lumaque)