2 Davao Region provinces lead list of national rice achievers

Numbers don’t lie!
This was stressed by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala during the 2nd Agri-Pinoy Rice Achievers’s Awards held recently at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City.
Alcala said in 2010 when he first assumed as Secretary of Agriculture, total rice yield was recorded at 15.77 million metric tons; in 2011, the yield reached 16.68 million metric tons, and last year, total rice yield reached an unprecedented 18.03 million metric tons.
“In our ‘Food Staples Sufficiency Program’ (FSSP) roadmap, we have targeted to produce 20 million metric tons of rice to be able to feed our country’s total population,” Alcala added.
Alcala further bared that in 2010, total imported rice that entered our country (courtesy of the previous administration) was recorded at 2.45 million metric tons. This figure was reduced to 860,000 metric tons in 2011; in 2012 it further went down to 500,000 metric tons, and at the present year, this figure will be further reduced by 50 percent, just enough to serve as buffer stock during lean months, brought about by climate change.
On the same occasion, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and National Rice Program Coordinator Dante Delima, reacting to remarks by detractors that the Department of Agriculture is allocating excessive investment on the rice alone, emphatically said that “Kulang na kulang pa ang pundong inilaan para sa pagpapalago sa industriya ng palay.”
This statement was seconded by National Administrator Antonio S. Nangel of the National Irrigation Administration who said that “Of the country’s 3.126 million hectares total irrigable rice areas, only 1.730 million hectares or 55 percent is fully irrigated.”
As incentive for the good performance of the rice sector, the 2ndAgri-Pinoy Achievers’ Award was conducted to give due recognition to the local government units, and other institutions, associations and individuals who had contributed much in terms of increasing rice yields in their areas ( even surpassing their palay output targets); attaining a higher average yield per hectare; encouraging more rice farmers to use quality seeds and employ modern technologies; and allotting more budget for rice-related projects.
Of the 10 provinces that made it to the list of winners in this prestigious awards, two came from the Davao Region – Compostela Valley and Davao del Sur. Aside from a plaque of recognition, the winning province each received a cash prize of P4 million for additional rice-related projects in their respective areas.
Other winners from the Davao Region include, among others: Top Municipality – Matano, Davao del Sur; Irrigators’ Associations in Balisong, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte and Upper Sinayawan, Hagonoy, Davao del Sur; Communal Irrigation Systems in San Agustin, Digos City; Katipunan Semong in Kapalong, Davao del Norte; and Awao in Monkayo, Compostela Valley; and Small Water Impounding System Association in Libasan, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.
A total of 13 Agricultural Extension Workers from Davao Region also made it to the list of national winners, led by Provincial Agriculturists Ernesto Miro and Dr. Rolando Simene of Davao del Sur and Compostela Valley, respectively, and Matanao Municipal Agricultural Officer Flordeliza Baldoza, who despite her handicap (she lost one of her legs due to diabetes complication), still manages to effectively lead her eight rice technical staff in assisting the rice farmers thus resulting to a high recorded average rice yield of seven tons per hectare for the municipality of Matanao, Davao del Sur.
The winning municipality and Irrigators’ Associations also each received a plaque of recognition and a cash prize of P1 million, while the Agricultural Extension Workers each received a P20,000 cash prize aside from the plaque of recognition.
On the same occasion, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and National Rice Program Coordinator Dante Delima, reacting to remarks by detractors that the Department of Agriculture is allocating excessive investment on the rice sector, emphatically said that “Kulang na kulang pa ang pundong inilaan para sa pagpapalago sa industriya ng palay.”
This statement was seconded by National Administrator Antonio S. Nangel of the National Irrigation Administration who said that “Of the country’s 3.126 million hectares total irrigable rice areas, only 1.730 million hectares or 55 percent is fully irrigated.”[Aggie Media Service]