DA expects higher rice harvest in first quarter

CEBU, Philippines - Owing to the positive developments in line with rice production and softening prices of chemical fertilizers, the country can expect a good harvest of palay on the first quarter of this year, according to Department of Agriculture’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program.

GMA Rice Programs’ national coordinator Dr. Frisco Malabanan recently announced that due to the implementation of DA’s intervention measures like provision of quality inbred and hybrid seeds and rural extension work, the areas planted to both hybrid seeds and certified inbred seeds (CS) have already reached to around 1,157,404 hectares as of mid-February, or some 386,775 hectares more than area planted to CS last year during same period.  

“All these factors plus good weather will contribute to a good palay harvest this dry crop. Harvesting will commence late March and will peak in April.  The said harvest will augment the current local stock inventory as reported by the National Food Authority (NFA),” said Malabanan

Currently, NFA’s inventories already totals 16.2 million bags of 50 kilograms or 813,484 metric tons which is 194 percent higher than its total 276,100 MT stocks in the same period last year.

The massive palay procurement operations of the NFA enabled the agency to procure from local farmers a record volume of 685,000 metric tons in 2008, which is the highest in almost 30 years and 1,975 percent higher compared to year 2007 volume of just 33,000 MT.    

The GMA Rice Program has been granting subsidies to farmers for the purchase of hybrid and CS, conducting technical briefings with the help of DA Regional Field Units (DA-RFUs), and establishing technology demonstration areas in collaboration with the local government units (LGUs) and the private seed companies.

As of February 2009, hybrid rice and CS were planted in 105,593 hectares and 1,051,811 hectares, respectively.

Also the increase in production is also anticipated because of the softening of prices for inorganic fertilizers since January 2009. 

Malabanan said that nitrogen fertilizer now only ranges from P900 to P930 per bag, from the average price of P1, 580 per bag during the wet or main crop. 

The Program, together with the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, has also been implementing the Balanced or “Tamang Abono” Fertilization Scheme as a cost-reduction strategy through judicious fertilization.

This scheme guides farmers in selecting the right mixture of fertilizers (organic and inorganic), the most appropriate type of soil, and the right amount of fertilizer grades and this is done to ensure optimum crop yields and better income without causing decline in soil fertility.

With enough rainfall and with the ongoing restoration of irrigation facilities which contributed to the increase in the irrigated rice areas and cropping intensity, Malabanan said that Filipinos should no longer need not worry about lower rice production output as the more than 40,000 hectares restored by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in 2008 are now planted with quality seeds this 2009 dry season. — Rhia de Pablo