In Central Visayas, DA sees drop in rice production this year

CEBU, Philippines - Total rice production in Central Visayas is being projected to drop this year, an official of Department of Agriculture said.

"Looking at the July-round, on the trend ni-decrease siya comparing last year and this year," said Dr. Fabio Enriquez, DA-7's Operations Division chief and rice program focal head.

Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed the region's rice production in 2013 reached to 347,697 metric tons.

The figure is higher than the agency's rice yield output projection of about 325,000 metric tons for this whole year, Enriquez said, adding this might pose a six percent decrease in rice production growth rate for the region.

A BAS data further showed that for this year's first semester, region seven recorded 150,445 MT of rice output; 93,371 MT in first quarter; and 57,074 in the second quarter.

He told The FREEMAN that Central Visayas has a land area of 65,352 hectares for rice production. The land area is relatively lower compared to other regions such as Central Luzon, Cagayan, Isabela and region six which are the country's top rice producer.

"Probably usa sa mga factors nganong di kaayo dako atong production is that we are an island province man gud -- watak-watak atong land," the official said.

The DA has already expressed the need to increase the average rice production per hectare to generate a new output record in the region.

According to Enriquez, some irrigation facilities such as those in Balamban town and Carcar City were destroyed by previous calamities. The event may have taken toll on the production, he added.

He also claimed that some problems may have affected irrigated farms but added that reconstruction of damaged agricultural infrastructures is underway.

In Central Visayas, Bohol has remained to be the top rice producer with constant increase in rice yield for years.

Last year, according to a BAS data, Bohol yielded 256,495 MT of rice; Negros had 71,173 MT; Cebu recorded 17,660 MT; and Siquijor had the lowest output at 2,459 MT.

In addition, this year's harvest season for rice has already started in September through October.

Self-sufficiency target

Meanwhile, the national DA has expressed confidence the country could achieve full rice self-sufficiency by end of 2015.

The government missed to achieve its previous end-2013 target of self-reliance on rice production.

The agency noted the nation's rice self-sufficiency level is seen to reach between 97 to 98 percent this year. (FREEMAN)