Lesser rice production seen
The Department of Agriculture 6 has warned of reduced rice production this year with the farming sector not able to achieve its production target of 3.2 metric tons per hectare, a report of the Philippine News Agency said.
Agriculture Regional Executive Director Larry Nacionales said that rice production suffered much this year and much delayed planting season of about one and a half months caused a major disturbance in the farming cycle mainly due to severe El Niño.
Western Visayas, the country’s second top rice producing region, was only able to produce 2.3 metric tons per hectare in last cropping season due to natural and man-made calamities.
Nacionales is positive, however, that the region remains a rice sufficient area, even if it suffers production slump that form the bulk of 14 percent surplus sent to other rice deficient areas in the country.
Out of 309,000 hectares earmarked in the region for rice production and harvest by August this year, only 221,000 hectares were planted by June that will stretch rice harvest by end of October.
Nacionales said the agriculture department will invest massive irrigation program on top of its subsidized rice seeds and expanded crop insurance program due to lessons learned from the recent El Niño and long dry spell.
There will also be no subsidized commercial fertilizer as Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is bent on organic fertilizer production and use in the farms, Nacionales said.*
