The government is targeting to expand the country’s unmilled rice production by 5 percent to a record 21 million metric tons (MMT) next year on the back of its P55-billion investment in the rice sector.
Following the record-high palay production last year and in the first semester of this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued a memorandum order (MO) which indicated its production target for 2022.
MO 58, which was signed by Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar on September 28, stipulated that the government must aim for another record-level palay harvest next year to justify the huge budget of the rice industry for 2022.
“We shall aim for a minimum of 5-percent increase [over 2021] production in rice production of each of the PIRP [Philippine Integrated Rice Program] target provinces or an overall target of more than 21 MMT in 2022. This target will justify the more than P55 billion that the government invests in the rice sector in 2022,” he said in the order.
“Based on what we have learned from our current efforts to attain higher rice yield and production and reinforce our actions further, this memorandum order is being issued for all concerned offices to mainstream their operations and implement in scale.”
The DA noted that the record-high levels of palay production were achieved through higher investments in yield-increasing interventions, more extensive farmers’ training and stronger collaboration with industry partners.
“These have allowed us to further increase the production in high yielding areas and low yielding areas,” it said.
The DA said it sees “significant opportunities to increase the yield per hectare and provincial production” based on available data, which include those from the Philippine Statistics Authority and Philippine Rice Information System.
Under the MO, concerned agencies and offices are tasked to implement numerous guidelines including selecting the most suitable variety for specific location and adjusting the planting calendar to reduce yield loss and maximize yield.
The DA said hybrid rice varieties must be promoted in specific areas as they have “shown clear and convincing yield advantages in well-irrigated areas.”
“Likewise, promote planting of specific inbred varieties that have shown yield advantage over other varieties in specific cropping season and location. Furthermore, focus on the distribution of certified seeds in low usage areas.”
Implementers of the MO must also promote the use of PalayCheck application since it can be used in diagnosing and addressing some of the production constraints.
The DA also ordered the resolution of location-specific yield and production constraints using available technical data and local knowledge.
“We need proper nutrient management through appropriate fertilization. Pay special attention to micronutrient deficiencies like Zinc and Sulfur. These two elements can limit the effectiveness of NPK [fertilizer] and seed interventions.”
The DA said it will also scale-up cost-reducing and productivity-enhancing innovations and promote the Bayanihan Agri Cluster for the provision of services.
“The key to attaining scale and success is through our strong partnership with other agencies and organizations [government and nongovernment] that will make them co-own the process and the outputs.”
The Philippines is on track to achieve its 20-MMT historic palay harvest target this year if production momentum will be sustained after first-half output grew by almost 5 percent to a record of nearly 8.8 MMT. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/09/barring-adverse-weather-condition-in-h2-phl-on-track-to-historic-palay-yield-in-2021/).