The Department of Agriculture (DA) urged farmers in North Cotabato to use hybrid seeds to increase their paddy-rice production and help the government attain its sufficiency goal by 2020.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol recently visited North Cotabato to attend the fourth National Rice Technology Forum held in M’lang. Piñol was joined by rice experts who helped him promote the use of hybrid seeds.
The promotion of hybrid rice seeds is one of the strategies being pursued by the DA to increase paddy rice output, Piñol told participants during the opening program.
Aside from the use of hybrid-rice seeds, Piñol said the government would implement three other strategies: access to credit/loans; access to right marketing; and the provision of postharvest facilities.
“To determine which [hybrid-rice] variety produces more yield per hectare, the DA will launch a rice derby contenst,” he said.
The result, Piñol said, would serve as the government’s guide as to what variety to distribute to farmers. In line with this initiative, he said the DA has forged partnership with private seed companies to assist in technology transfer.
To provide easy access to credit and financial assistance, he said the DA has proposed to Congress the enactment of a Quick Credit Facility (QCF) that will help both farmers and fishermen. Under the QCF, farmers and fishermen may avail a P25,000 per hectare financial assistance.
“The DA, through the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council, has also launched the Survival and Recovery [SURE] Assistance Program for calamity-stricken farmers and fishermen. SURE does not require collateral, has zero interest, and is payable in three years,” Piñol said.
He said the DA will also organize rice farmers into “highly functioning organizations” and assist them in setting-up farmer-owned rice outlets in key areas. “Through this strategy, the DA aims to eliminate unnecessary layers in the market system.”
In his message, Piñol said “the government will not give equipment which does not work and which you [farmers] do not need.”
As such, the DA will prioritize the distribution of “useful and efficient” postharvest facilities.
Aside from distributing agriculture machinery, the DA is seeking a P20-billion budget next year for the distribution of solar irrigation system, which forms part of the rice expansion program for 2017.
“The DA has to irrigate 80,000 hectares every year to be able to feed the growing number of Filipinos,” Piñol said.
An additional 20,000 hectare to 30,000 hectare expansion program is targeted for 2018.