The DA said farmers served by major irrigation systems in Luzon are particularly encouraged to advance their “cropping calendar” this year to help boost palay production.

The agency is targeting to increase palay production to 18.46 million metric tons (MMT) this year. Last year, palay output reached 16.68 MMT, accounting for 15 percent of agriculture growth.

“We are usually hit by strong typhoons in October so we have to set the [cropping] season earlier,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said in a statement.

Alcala said the early planting schedule will be initially implemented in Central Luzon, particularly those served by the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) and the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (MARIIS).

About 190,000 hectares of irrigated farms will be covered under the early planting scheme, of which 110,000 hectares are covered by UPRIIS and the remaining 80,000 hectares by MARIIS.

To date, UPRIIS has a total of 386 irrigators’ associations (IAs) under its jurisdiction, with some 82,000 farmer-members. MARIIS has 363 IAs with some 65,000 farmer-members.

Traditionally, the country gets 60 percent of its annual palay harvest from the main wet-season cropping while 40 percent comes from the dry-season cropping.

“It is from irrigation where we can attain the biggest difference for our yield. Farmers can plant rice only once using rainwater, but we can make it two and a half times if irrigation is improved,” Alcala said. “If we have enough water through more irrigation systems in place, it is possible to shift the trend, where we would harvest 60 percent of our total production during the dry season.”

He said the DA, through its National Rice Program directorate and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), will spearhead the initiative in partnership with the respective IAs.

Alcala said that aside from advancing the cropping calendar, the DA is also working closely with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to utilize the full potential of flood control projects and major dams in the country.

He said the DA-NIA plans to build a series of impounding dams downstream of major dams that will serve as check dams. These will store excess water during the rainy season and irrigate farms during the dry season.

Strong typhoons in the second semester of 2011 saw palay production plummet by more than 8 percent. This was one of the biggest reasons why the fourth-quarter farm output posted a contraction of 2.11 percent last year.

However, due to the strong harvest in the first semester, damage to palay wrought by typhoons did not bar the country from harvesting 16.68 MMT of palay last year. This was a 5.8-percent increase from the 15.77 MMT produced in 2010.