DA: Rice farmers to reap bounty of govt interventions starting 2020

By Manuel Cayon, Businessmirror, 8 Jan 2020

A farmer starts plowing his rice field in Pampanga after a brief rainfall in this file photo.
DAVAO CITY—Government would aim to raise local rice production than imports this year when local rice farmers begin to reap the benefits of government intervention last year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The intervention came in the form of certified palay seeds which the DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) distributed in October last year for the dry-season planting, the DA added.

In a news statement that echoed the pronouncement of Agriculture Secretary William Dar when he spoke to reporters last week, the DA said it “targets to produce more palay [unmilled rice] and import less rice this year.”

“We aim to harvest 19.6 million metric tons [MMT] of palay, net of damage due to adverse weather conditions,” said Dar during first media briefing for the year on January 3, 2020, at the DA main office in Quezon City.

The department’s 2020 palay yield forecast was 3 percent more than the estimated 2019 palay output of 19 MMT.

“We expect that initial benefits of interventions under the P10-billion RCEF [Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund] program, particularly on inbred rice seeds given free to farmers, will be realized during the dry and main season crops starting this year,” Dar said.

The certified palay seeds were distributed to farmers in 947 rice-producing towns and cities in 57 provinces. The seeds support was taken from the RCEF program.

Under RCEF, some P3 billion is set aside each year for certified seeds up to 2024, where farmers would receive 40 kilograms per hectare of certified rice seed varieties for every planting season.

The DA said the inbred certified palay seeds produce an average of 4.54 MT per hectare as compared to farmer home-saved seeds’ yield of 3.50 MT per hectare, and the traditional seeds’ yield of 2.13 MT per hectare, according to the DA-PhilRice.

“Hence, with RCEF seed intervention, we would generate an incremental yield of at least 1 MMT, as we will provide farmers nationwide, tilling a total of 1 million hectares, free certified palay seeds,” Dar said.

He said rice farmers would expect an incremental yield of another 1 MMT of palay per hectare as farmers adopt modern technologies and mechanize land preparation, crop management and harvesting.

The DA said that under RCEF, the DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech) would distribute P5 billion worth of farm machines and equipment to qualified farmers’ cooperatives and associations, and local government units.

PhilMech research shows that mechanizing rice farming operations can reduce total palay production cost by P4 per kilogram, from the current average of P12 per kilogram.

“We have yet to mechanize Philippine agriculture, at a level of at least 4 horsepower [hp] per hectare, and be at par with our Asean counterparts,” Dar said.

Studies conducted by the DA-PhilMech showed that the country’s level of mechanization is 1.23 hp per hectare for all crops, 2.31 hp per hectare for rice in all provinces, and 3 hp per hectare in major rice-producing provinces like Isabela and Nueva Ecija.

Under RCEF, rice farmers will also receive credit support worth P1 billion, through the Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines, and another P1 billion for trainings and scholarships through the DA’s Agricultural Training Institute, PhilMech, and PhilRice, and DTI’s Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).