Rice nutrition data accessible via cellphone
Rice farmers can now access a nutrition management system for their crops using a mobile phone, under a project developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) which will now be implemented by the agency together with the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“The Nutrient Management for Rice or NMRice tool will be a critical tool in improving palay production in the country, as the right use of fertilizers varies among fields, seasons and even years. Farmers often improperly use [fertilizers] by putting the wrong type or amount at the wrong time,” Agriculture Secretary Bernie G. Fondevilla was quoted saying in a statement released by the DA yesterday.
Mr. Fondevilla and IRRI director-general Robert Zeigler signed a one-year memorandum of agreement last Friday at the IRRI office in Los Baños in Laguna.
The DA, through its Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), will release P1.8 million for IRRI to carry out the project, the government agency said in the statement.
Under the agreement, the IRRI will provide the data on improved production practices and the DA will promote the tool. The DA and IRRI will also be talking with Globe Telecom, Inc. to provide services needed for the project.
To use the NMRice tool, the farmer calls a toll-free number through his mobile phone, answers questions, and then the fertilizer guideline is sent as a text message. The tool can also be accessed through a computer with an Internet connection or a telephone, according to the IRRI Web site.
“On top of raising production, the NMRice tool will also help increase farmers’ income and protect the environment,” Mr. Fondevillla said, pointing out that farmers do not usually bother with printed materials on fertilizer management distributed to them.
Apart from the NMRice tool, the DA has an existing Farmers’ Contact Center, set up under the ATI last December. The Farmers’ Contact Center allows farmers and extension workers to talk with agricultural technicians for guidance and information on various concerns.
The project was launched with the help of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), which set a flat rate of P7 per call instead of charging calls per minute. BusinessWorld
