The Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to further improve the country’s rice productivity and adequacy levels this year, boosted by the combined outcomes of government interventions and continued strong partnerships with farmers’ groups, rice industry stakeholders, and local government units (LGUs).
“We target to produce 20.4 million metric tons (MMT) of palay, surpassing last year’s record harvest of 19.4 MMT, and factoring in challenges of the lingering pandemic and adverse weather conditions,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
“Coupled with this, we also aim to stabilize the farmgate prices of palay and retail price of rice to benefit millions of farmers and consumers alike,” the DA chief added.
“With tightening global food supply due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we will strongly implement interventions to attain a higher rice adequacy level from last year’s 90 percent to about 95 percent this year,” Secretary Dar said.
For 2021, the Duterte administration targets to produce 20.47 MMT of palay from 4.74 million hectares (ha), where farmers will be provided with free seeds of inbred and hybrid rice varieties through major interventions, particularly the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), expanded RCEF, rice resiliency project (RRP), and regular national rice program (NRP).
Last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) projected that the country’s palay production would total 19.44 MMT, comprising of the actual harvest of 11.9 MMT, from January to September 2020, and a projected yield of 7.54 MMT in the fourth quarter, based on standing crop on November 1, 2020.
The 2020 palay harvest is 3.3% more than the 18.81-MMT output in 2019, and surpasses the previous high of 19.27 MMT in 2017.
Secretary Dar attributes the feat to the timely and sustained interventions under the Duterte administration’s Plant, Plant, Plant program — particularly provision of free certified inbred seeds under the RCEF, and hybrid seeds and fertilizers under the RRP and NRP— as well as the strong support of governors of top rice-producing provinces, and of farmers’ groups and federations.
In particular, the 2020 record palay harvest was due to the increase in average yield (59% of growth), to 4.11 MT from 4.04 MT per hectare (ha) in 2019, and expansion of area planted and harvested in rainfed areas by 80,000 ha (41%) from 4.65 million ha in 2019, according to Deputy Director Flordeliza Bordey of the DA’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in a report to Secretary Dar.
She said that the average yield in both irrigated and rainfed ecosystems improved in both dry and wet cropping seasons.
Under RCEF, about 1.38 million bags (20 kg/bag) of certified inbred seeds were distributed to 500,000 farmers, who planted more than 698,000 ha, during the 2020 dry season.
In the same season, the DA under the NRP also distributed more than 76,000 bags of hybrid seeds to thousands of farmers who planted 76,000 ha.
The country’s rice farmers continued to benefit during the wet season (WS), as the Duterte administration poured more resources with the enactment of the Bayanihan Act I and II, Bordey said.
A total of 867,000 farmers received free 2.29 million bags of certified inbred seeds under RCEF during the 2020 wet season, covering over 1 million ha.
In addition, the DA distributed 758,000 bags of inbred and hybrid rice seeds under the NRP, and RRP expanded hybrid and inbred projects.
“The timely distribution of seeds early in the 2020 WS was able to optimize the availability of rainfall and irrigation water, which encouraged farmers to plant early,” Bordey said.
“Because of this, there were more areas harvested in the 2020 third quarter compared to 2019. There could have been bigger typhoon damages if these were harvested in the fourth quarter of 2020,” she added.
In fact, the country could have produced more, were it not for the several typhoons, pest infestation, drought, and flash flood in 2020 that damaged more than 400,000 MT, Secretary Dar said.
Through its RRP expanded hybrid and inbred, and enhanced RCEF projects, the DA delivered 2.65 million bags of urea fertilizers, good for nearly 820,000 ha, benefiting close to one million farmers.
Hundreds of farm machinery and equipment, provided through the RCEF mechanization program, have also contributed to farm operations’ timeliness and minimizing postharvest losses, including typhoon damages, Bordey said.
This year, the DA will also focus on providing farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) with more drying equipment and facilities to increase palay quality and farmgate prices.
The extension services provided under RCEF and NRP, which include farmers’ training and provision of IEC materials, also helped improve the skills of farmers and optimize the use of production inputs that they received, Bordey said.
Provision of credit services also helped farmers source other farm inputs, especially during the pandemic when their cash resources were limited.
“In all, the above interventions will be further enhanced to attain our committed targets, thus setting the stage for a brighter rice supply and demand outlook for 2021,” concluded Secretary Dar. ### (DA StratComms)
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RFO I News/Feature Release
Of protecting the Caraballo Mountains: LGU Natividad continues feat on envi, econ dev’t through CADP
Endowed with fertile lands and mountain ranges that serve as a haven for watersheds, the local government of Natividad in the province of Pangasinan continues to pursue its envisioned facets of development focused on sustainable economic growth and protected ecosystems through the Convergence Area Development Plan (CADP).
CADP is a comprehensive plan to address management of watersheds and ecosystems in a holistic and sustainable manner through the implementation of projects which will be spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
This collaborative effort is dubbed as the DA-DAR-DILG-DENR Regional Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development – a multi-sectoral planning strategy of the government to contribute inclusive growth and poverty reduction, particularly in the countryside, in partnership with the local government units and other government line agencies.
LIPAD! NATIVIDAD CONVERGENCE AREA
This is the name for the proposed convergence area of the municipality which was launched in December 2019.
Among the criteria for the selection of Natividad as a convergence area under the NCI-SRD is the community peoples’ need for an environment-friendly enterprise and livelihood to protect the Caraballo Mountains.
Natividad is a fourth class municipality in the easternmost part of Pangasinan bounded by the municipalities of San Nicolas on the north, Tayug on the west, San Quintin on the south and by the rugged Caraballo Mountain ranges bordering Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya on the east. It is home to some 24, 299 individuals as per 2015 data of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
In a 2011 Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) data, it was reported that out of the 5,123 households, approximately 62.99% are classified as poor. The locality has very limited local employment opportunities besides farming, hunting, and forest products gathering.
Activities of forest dependent families particularly hunters, charcoal makers, firewood gatherers, and illegal wood suppliers to furniture makers and lumber dealers have caused destruction in the Caraballo Mountains.
“These activities have been among the damaging activities of the people specifically those residing near the Caraballo Mountains, depleting forest resources in the area, “said Mr. John Christian M. Sioco, Natividad Municipal Agriculturist.
“Forest fires are also instigated by the residents in order to get these wood resources,” he added.
The Caraballo Mountain ranges is one of the most critical watersheds of the province of Pangasinan and Natividad is among the five municipalities which has jurisdiction over this mountain. Big rivers originate from it which includes the municipality’s Viray river and the Karawetan Creek. These are major water support for drinking and agricultural activities of the locals.
If not protected, Caraballo mountain will not only affect Natividad and its neighboring areas. Agno River – the main river that affects low-lying areas in Pangasinan also emanates from this mountain.
DEVELOPMENT WANTED
Focusing on environmental protection and economic growth, LGU Natividad identified two strategic goals to address these issues. One is the need to improve the efficiency of the Caraballo Mountain as a watershed through effective forest protection and restoration and the other is to help uplift the socio-economic well-being of the people within the convergence area particularly those living near the Caraballo Mountain.
Initial support and interventions have been implemented to realize these goals.
For its environment protection and ecosystem management activities, Sioco, has reported that the LGU has already distributed chicken, native pigs, and goats to target recipients.
Other beneficiaries had already started planting 2,500 seedlings of high value fruit trees provided by DENR including 10,000 Robusta coffee seedlings from DA alongside cacao, bamboo, and rubber trees.
Furthermore, beneficiaries underwent trainings spearheaded by ATI and DOST. These were on mushroom production and processing, candle making and bamboo weaving. Currently, they are manufacturing their own brand of mushroom-based products such as chips, sisig, chicharon, tocino, and others.
“Ang CADP ay napakalaking tulong sa mamamayan ng Natividad kasi di na sila nag-uuling, nababawasan na ang mga nangangaso sa bundok at konti na ang mga sunog sa bundok dahil nabibigyan po sila ng kabuhayan at may binabantayan na silang fruit trees, rubber trees, at bamboo,” shared Sioco.
For the fisheries sector of the municipality, BFAR has already delivered start-up materials for fish smoking, smokehouse, cool box and established integrated farming on tilapia with vegetable components.
There are still ongoing constructions of farm-to-market roads, irrigation canal, and multi-purpose drying pavement under the physical and infrastructure component of the CADP and much is yet to be done until the end of the project in 2022.
LGU Natividad nevertheless is optimistic in pursuing its programs and activities to preserve and cultivate what remains of the natural flora and fauna of their very own Caraballo Mountains. # # # (DA-RFO CAR, RAFIS)
