DA allocates P7.5B for drying facilities

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is allocating up to P7.5 billion for more drying facilities in rice and corn-producing areas in the country to reduce post-harvest losses of farmers.

This was announced yesterday by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap during a farmers’ forum at the 20th National Rice Research and Development (R&D) conference held in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Yap said the drying facilities would be put up in 37 key rice-producing provinces which account for 82 percent of the country’s total production.

The DA chief noted that rice farmers incur losses of five to 10 percent of their harvest while corn farmers lose 15 percent when drying their produce.

He said the provision of modern post-harvest facilities, the rehabilitation of irrigated lands, and the introduction of seed and production technologies are key to boosting the government’s rice self-sufficiency goal by 2010.

As in past years, Nueva Ecija is expected to remain the top producer accounting for 10 percent of the country’s total production this year.

Other areas that are expected to post higher production this year are Isabela, Pangasinan, Iloilo, Cagayan Valley, Tarlac, Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental, and Occidental Mindoro.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Rice Research Institute announced that the newly developed hybrid rice called Mestiso 7 would be available to farmers starting this May.

Dr. Manuel G. Gaspar, national hybrid rice seed coordinator, said Mestiso 7 is an alternative for Mestiso 3 during the wet season because it has a high tolerance to pests and diseases especially in areas without a history of tungro infestation.

Mestiso 7 is the ninth hybrid variety developed in the Philippines.

The variety is an early maturing hybrid variety bred by the Los Baños-based International Rice Research Institute for irrigated lowlands.