Agri app hikes farmers’ yield

MANILA, Philippines — An agricultural application has increased farmers average yield, the Department of Agriculture said.

Based on the latest report from the DA’s research division, farmers in the Mimaropa region who used the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) saw an increase in their average yield to 4.93 metric tons per hectare last year from the usual average of 3.8 MT per hectare.

RCM is a mobile application that allows extension workers to give farmers specific recommendations on nutrient, pest, weed, or water management, depending on the specific variety they used and the previous yield.

It is intended to improve production, increase farmer’s income, and provide fast and on time professional extension service to farmers through the use of information and communications technology.

Data from 40 demo trials for RCM conducted in the three major rice-producing provinces of the region–Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan –showed that farms obtained a higher yield of 80 percent.