INCREASED PRODUCTION. The Department of Agriculture in Caraga Region reported an increase in rice production and the expansion of rice areas during the first two quarters this year due to the direct interventions made by the agriculture department to rice farmers. (Photo grab from DA-13 Facebook Page)
BUTUAN CITY – Caraga Region has increased its palay production during the first two quarters of this year, data from the Department of Agriculture in the area (DA-13) showed.
Figures provided by DA-13 on Wednesday (November 27) showed that in the first three months of this year, palay production was recorded at 25,776 MT (metric tons), an output higher compared to 21,659 MT production in the same period in 2018.
Area planted with palay also increased during the first quarter this year, from 7,229 hectares in 2018 to 7,813 hectares in 2019.
The average yield also posted an increase during the period, from three metric ton per hectare in the first quarter last year to 3.3 MT/hectare this year.
During the second quarter, palay production also increased from 277,219 MT last year to 2,080,573 MT this year. Area planted also rose from 84,567 hectares last year to 86,218 this year.
The average yield declined slightly in the second quarter this year, from 3.28 MT/hectare last year down to 3.25 MT/hectare this year.
The factors that contribute to the negligible reduction in yield can be attributed to the mild El Niño that hit Caraga Region during the period, said Marisa Garces, the Rice Program Focal Person of DA-13.
Garces told Philippine News Agency on Wednesday that most of the rain-fed and irrigated areas in the region were directly affected by the El Niño.
On the other hand, the upturn in palay production during the first two quarters of 2019 is due to the interventions made by the government to rice farmers, Garces said.
Garces said DA-13 managed to secure 25,000 bags of certified rice seeds and 5,000 bags of hybrid seeds earlier this year and were distributed to palay farmers in the area.
The procurement and distribution of certified and hybrid rice seeds was made possible through the P350-million un-programmed fund from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that was directly released to DA-13 in December last year.
Aside from the provision of palay seeds, farmers in the region also benefited from the implementation of the mechanization program of DA-13.
Garces said that 125 units of rice transplanters, 10 units of tractors, and 125 units of combined harvesters were already released to different farmers’ organizations in Caraga Region.
The funding for the procurement of farm machinery and equipment was also taken from the P350 million fund to DA-13, Garces added.
Portions of the fund were also utilized for the construction and rehabilitation of dams that will ensure sufficient supply of irrigation water to rice areas in the region, she said. (PNA)
