DA scales down rice output target

Unfavorable weather brought about by the El Niño phenomenon has prompted the Department of Agriculture (DA) to downscale its rice production target for 2005 to 14.75 million metric tons (MT) from 15.12 million MT.

"Despite the lower target, it will still be a banner year because production for 2005 will still exceed the output in 2004," said outgoing Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap.

Field data gathered by the DA point to a total production of 14.75 million MT, still up by 1.8 percent from last year’s all-time high of 14.49 million MT.

Yap said this year’s lower production was due primarily to the El Nino phenomenon observed from January to July, which resulted in inadequate water supply in most of the dams and run-off river irrigation systems.

El Niño refers to an occasional weather anomaly characterized by extreme heat and drought, thus, there is inadequate rainfall.

Yap also pointed out the on-going repair of the canals and tunnels in the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System (UPRIIS) which delayed the release of water, affecting about 42,000 hectares of riceland in Nueva Ecija.

Recent National Irrigation Administration (NIA) figures show that only around 59 percent of the program areas have been irrigated by the end of June.

This forced farmers to plant early maturing inbred rice varieties to avoid possible damage brought about by typhoons, which are expected to hit from October to November.

This shift has reduced area planted to hybrid rice from 214,000 hectares to about 170,000 hectares.

Further, the recent increase in the prices of fertilizer (30 to 42 percent higher than 2004 prices) is expected to reduce farmer use, which may contribute to lower yields.

Despite these setbacks, Yap said the DA expects to register modest growth for the year.

"Despite inadequate water supply and adverse weather conditions, we are looking forward to achieve another banner year in rice production and we are on-track in achieving rice self-sufficiency in 2007," said Yap.