Agriculture

Farmers in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro have increased their average harvest from 6 tons per hectare to 9 ton following their specialized training under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Service (RCEF-RESP) program. The Katipunan Magading Farmers’ Association (KAMAFA attributes the 3 t/ha. Growth to the adoption of synchronous planting following a 30-day rest period and Minus-One Element Technique …

Rice varieties (like NSIC Rc 216, Rc 160, and Rc 300) bred by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and Rc 222 produced by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) were the top four most preferred rice varieties of Filipino farmers in irrigated lowland fields nationwide, both for dry and wet seasons. “These pool of inbred rice varieties were previously …

By Rose de la Cruz Instead of relying on the certified seeds that provincial and agricultural field offices would supply them, more farmers are now growing their own certified seeds, which they sell to their peers in their own and even neighboring towns. This development ensures that farmers are able to plant on time, or even earlier depending on availability …

By Rose de la Cruz Director Glenn Estrada for the Department of Agriculture’s Digitalization Program for Rice, was awarded last Feb.2  by the Development Academy of the Philippines for his capstone project on the benefits of digitalizing the farm sector. He is the second recipient of the award for outstanding capstone by the DAP’s Public Management Development Program, the leadership …

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) continues to intensify its support to advance growth in the countryside, with outstanding loans to the entire agricultural value chain surging to P755.1 billion as of end-December 2023.  The Bank expanded its loans to agriculture and rural development by 23% from P614.8 billion in the third quarter, driven by strategic financing for agriculture …

To help farmers market their produce, the Department of AGriculture in Region 2 together with the Cagayan Seed Producers Multipurpose Cooperative (CSPMPC) launched recently a Kadiwa store in Tuguegaro City in San Gabriel Village. The store will expand the market reach of farmers’ produce in the region and provide consumers another venue to buy cheaper agricultural products from this outlet. …

The 0.4 percent growth of the agriculture sector in 2023 was driven mainly by rice, poultry and the livestock sector, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority on January 31. The value of agriculture and fisheries production rose to P1.76 trillion versus its level in 2022 of P1.757 trillion. For the last quarter of 2023, the value of …

El Niño may have brought the threat of dry spells and water scarcity, but farmers’ rather than succumbing to adversity have embraced the challenge as an opportunity by trying to learn new techniques and innovative practices to combat El Nino’s effects while getting additional income. By practicing a water-saving technology called Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), farmers in Gabaldon, Science …

By Rose de la Cruz (with reports from DA-AFID) To address the perennial boom and bust cycles in food supplies, the Department of Agriculture plans to build more cold storage facilities at the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig, which had been originally built for such purpose but had been converted into industrial estate in recent decades with the emasculation of …

Of the 2.38 million rice farmers tilling two hectares and below targeted to benefit from the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) Program, an initial 44,719 farmers have availed of the P5,000 unconditional cash grant between December 20 and 27 with the highest availment coming from the Cordillera Autonomous Region at 4251 farmers. Mandated under Republic Act (RA) No 11598, or the …