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IN the
last five years, about 45,000 hectares of farmlands had
been converted into uses other than planting crops—or a
total loss of a minimum of 36,000 tons of palay in the
first year of the survey period 2002 to 2007, calculated
from average palay production of 4 tons per hectare
using certified seeds.
By 2007,
the potential palay production lost due to the
conversion of rice lands, of which about one-third are
irrigated, had been estimated at around 200,000 tons,
according to Philippine Rice Institute (Philrice)
executive director Leocadio Sebastian.
The
survey was conducted jointly by the Philrice and the
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), both attached
agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“The
number is significant because it accumulates. [The
production lost] increases if you take into account the
irrigated rice lands that were converted,” said
Sebastian.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap had the survey made to
determine whether the conversion of rice lands into
other uses had a significant impact on rice production.
Sources
in the DA said that the BAS and Philrice initially had a
hard time gathering data from local government units
because, apparently, they did not have data on converted
lands. Earlier, Dr. Frisco Malabanan, director of the
DA’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani Rice Program, disclosed
that land conversion is occurring in rice-producing
provinces like Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.
Malabanan had sounded the alarm that the continuous
conversion of irrigated farmlands into nonagricultural
purposes could threaten the efforts of the government to
achieve “rice self-sufficiency” by 2010.
Yap had
said, after seeing the results of the survey, that he
will look into the possibility of recommending the
passage of a measure that will compensate the government
for the conversion of farmlands for nonagricultural
purposes.
He said
nothing about banning—temporarily or permanently—the
conversion of agriculturally productive land into
nonfarming purposes. |
