Bago notes increase in rice production
DESPITE the “mild” El Niño phenomenon affecting the province, the Bago City Agriculture Office has noted an average rice yield of 4.66 metric tons (MT) per hectare as of April this year.
The figure is higher than 4.2 MT per hectare in 2017 and 4.43 MT per hectare last year.
City Agriculturist Carlito Indencia said the higher initial yield is attributed to the city’s sustained programs like hybridization, continuous education through farmer field schools, provision of postharvest facilities, and farm mechanization, among others.
Indencia said since most of the farms are irrigated, the long dry weather has minimally affect the production output.
“We are just a little apprehensive of the possible drop in production in July to August due to calamities particularly typhoons and heavy rains,” he said, adding that higher production is again expected starting September onwards.
City Agriculture Office records showed that Bago has a total palay production of 119,528.36 MT from harvested area of 11,879.29 hectares in 2018.
Contributing to about 25 percent of the province’s total production, the city is the top producer of rice in Western Visayas.
For this year, the city targets to achieve an average yield of 4.6 MT per hectare.
Indencia said such target is feasible, and that they are banking on programs and projects geared toward strengthening the locality’s rice sector.
It can be recalled that the city hosts the 200-hectare model rice farm for the provincial government’s pilot farm mechanization program.
The model farm is comprised of 160 farmers, who are members of Newton-camingawan-para (Necapa) Farmers Association in Barangay Taloc.
Indencia said the farm has already produced an average yield of five to eight MT from December 2018 to February this year harvests.
“We are now expanding the project to another 100 hectares of rice farms in different barangays of the city,” he said, adding that “the same practices and technologies will be applied.”
The City Agriculture Office will also conduct regular monitoring and weekly feedbacking with the farmers of the additional 100-hectare farms that are now operational.
The first production of these farms is expected in August or September. It is also expected to positively contribute to the city’s production this year.
Moreover, the city has already started distributing 1,000 certified rice seeds to recipient-farmers.
These form part of the 3,500 seeds to be distributed for the first cropping season this month.
It will cover at least 1,000 hectares of rice farms as each farmer is given about three bags of certified rice.
Of the covered areas, Indencia said they are identifying 100 hectares as pilot area for its fertilizer subsidy.
Indencia said recipientf armers will only pay 50 percent of the fertilizer cost. The package will also include enrolment to various crop insurance programs.
“As long as we will not be hardly hit by calamities during the remaining months, we are optimistic to reach our target rice production output this year,” he added.
In terms of budget, the local government has allocated about P16 million for its rice development program this year.
Of the amount, P10 million is for the purchase of farm machineries and P4.7 million for seeds.
The remaining P1.5 million is allotted for fertilizers.
Indencia said as the city government assures its support to the farmers, the latter are urged to cooperate.
“They should always attend meetings as updating is very important because there are new technologies coming out every now and then,” he added.*