Three provinces in Western Visayas posted more than 100 percent growth in the third quarter production of palay in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
Based on data of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Aklan posted 30,312.3-metric ton (MT) production, 259.63 percent higher than the last year’s production of only 8,428.74 MT.
Capiz, on the other hand, leaped by 112.58 percent, from 45,914 MT to 97,602 MT.
The province of Guimaras attained the biggest spike from 5,275 MT to 25,366MT, a 380.87 percent increment.
Meanwhile, Iloilo, Antique, and Negros Occidental’s production grew by 38.51 percent, 25.17 percent, and 1.40 percent, respectively.
“The significant increase in the palay production performance can be attributed to the expansion of the production area, and also to the free inputs provided to farmers under the Rice Resiliency Project (RRP) 1,” said Department of Agricuture (DA) Western Visayas Regional Executive Director Remelyn R. Recoter.
As part of the DA’s Plant, Plant Plant Program, the RRP targets to increase the local palay production as a way to ensure rice sufficiency amid the threats of global hunger due to COVID-19 pandemic.
RRP 1, which ended its distribution for the wet cropping season last September 15 had provided at least 14,915 bags of certified seeds, 51,797 bags of hybrid seeds, and 447,602 bags of fertilizer to Region 6 farmers listed under the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
The project had contributed to 35.42 percent growth in Western Visayas’ palay production in the third quarter performance.
“The use of high yielding seed varieties and sufficient fertilizer application enabled 2.8 percent growth in the average yield production of farmers from 3.58 MT per hectare average yield in 2019 to 3.68 MT per hectare yield,” Recoter said.
Moreover, Negros Occidental farmers clinched 4.11 MT per hectare average yield which is the highest among the six provinces in Western Visayas.
From 76,931 hectares area harvested, Iloilo has the highest volume of palay produced nationwide with 270,410.49 MT in the third quarter.
“The province of Iloilo has accumulated 622, 827 MT of palay produced as of the 3rd quarter. There is a big possibility that the production will exceed 1 million MT this year,” said Recoter. (Sheila Mae Toreno/Photo by Jonnel Airan/DA-RAFIS-6)