Palay output to rise 6% to 17.8-million tons this year - DA

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is projecting palay production this year to reach 17.81 million metric tons, six percent more last year’s production volume of 16.8 million MT.

The target for 2010 is 18.63 million MT.

The DA hopes to achieve its targets by increasing production and post-harvest support to palay growers.

Dr. Frisco Malabanan, national coordinator of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program, said the DA has installed 565 flatbed dryers and has distributed over 220,000 bags of organic fertilizer to farmers as of the third quarter of last year.

He said the DA has also constructed 33 multipurpose drying pavements for use by irrigators’ associations and established 2,028 technology demonstration farms.

Likewise, the DA, has conducted 1,497 technical briefings for 73,540 farmers.

Malabanan also reported that as of the third quarter, 1.6 million hectares of land were planted to certified seeds; 18,896 hectares were planted to registered and certified seeds; and 434,556 bags of these seeds were produced in preparation for the coming planting seasons.

The GMA Rice Program, Malabanan said, also distributed to farmers during the third quarter a total of 413,449 packs of zinc sulfate; 226,770 bags of organic fertilizer; 1,559,102 packs of Bio-N covering 428,550 hectares of land; 582,820 bags of muriate of potash; and 3,716 kilograms of rodenticides and fungicides.

The DA also procured and distributed during the same period 731 soil test kits, 14,068 leaf color charts, 49 soil maps, 2,599 Minus-One Element Technique kits, 22,640 bottles of soil inoculants and 76,909 packets of biological control agents as part of its assistance package to palay farmers, Malabanan said.

As part of the capability-building component of the GMA Rice Program, Malabanan said 12 training sessions were held in the retooling of 230 agricultural extension workers under the local government units and 141 field farmers’ schools were conducted for a combined total of 3,399 beneficiary-farmers.

The DA also organized farmer-led extension programs in 243 batches; 27 other batches of other specialized training courses; and 136 batches of seed growers training courses with 2,649 participants.