Department of Agriculture asks rice farmers to advance cropping calendar

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is encouraging rice farmers, particularly those served by major irrigation systems in Luzon, to advance their “cropping calendar” by a month or two to avoid typhoons that visit the country during the months of October to November.

“We are usually hit by strong typhoons in October, so we have to set the (cropping) season earlier,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said in a recent media briefing.

The DA, through its National Rice Program directorate and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), would spearhead the initiative in partnership with the respective irrigators associations (IAs).

Alcala said that the early planting schedule would initially be implemented in Central Luzon, particularly those served by the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) and the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS).

About 190,000 hectares of irrigated farms would be covered under the early planting scheme, of which 110,000 hectares are covered by UPRIIS and the remaining 80,000 hectares are served by MARIIS.

To date, UPRIIS has a total of 386 IAs under its jurisdiction, with some 82,000 farmer-members. MARIIS has 363 IAs with some 65,000 farmer-members.

“It is from irrigation where we can attain the biggest difference for our yield. Farmers can plant rice only once using rainwater, but we can make it two and a half times if irrigation is improved,” Alcala said.

Traditionally, the country gets 60 percent of its annual palay (unhusked rice) harvest from the main wet season cropping, while 40 percent comes from the dry season cropping.

“If we have enough water through more irrigation systems in place, it is possible to shift the trend, where we would harvest 60 percent of our total production during the dry season,” he added.

Despite the strong typhoons during second semester of 2011, the country has managed to harvest 16.68 million metric tons (MT) of palay, 5.8 percent more than the 15.77 million MT produced in 2010.

This year, the DA targets to produce 18.46 million MT, and more than 20 million MT by 2013, and attain 100 percent sufficiency in rice, utilizing a P6.2 billion fund from the department’s budget to finance various rice initiatives.

Alcala said that aside from advancing the cropping calendar, the DA is also working closely with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to utilize the full potential of flood control projects and major dams in the country.

He said the DA-NIA plans to build a series of impounding dams downstream of major dams that would serve as check dams.

The impounding dams would store excess water during the rainy season, and irrigate farms during the dry season.