Iloilo targets 1M metric tons 2019 rice harvest

ILOILO – Despite the high possibility of an El Niño dry spell this first quarter of 2019, the provincial government is hopeful that local farmers would be able to produce one million metric tons of rice by the end of the year.

The province is yet to reach this high rice production under his term as Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) chief, said Ildefonso Toledo.

In recent years, the highest rice production reached was 950,000 metric tons in 2012, said Toledo. Typhoon Quinta in December of that year derailed the goal of reaching a million metric tons rice harvest, he explained.

There are some 100,000 rice farmers in Iloilo, PAO records showed.

On the 2018 rice production, Toledo said PAO would be releasing the data after all local government units would have submitted their rice production reports.

But he said hitting one million metric tons last year may be difficult; rice planting was delayed due to water scarcity, he said.

Iloilo has 134,000 hectares of rice farms. Of these, 75,000 hectares are rain-fed and 55,000 hectares irrigated.

PAO learned from the 2018 experience, said Toledo, and prepared countermeasures such as distributing to farmers high-yielding hybrid rice varieties that can produce between 10 to 15 metric tons of palay per hectare.

“Damo sang aton farmers ang naga-adopt sang hybrid,” said Toledo.

Three factors determine good rice harvest, said the PAO chief – good quality seeds for planting, favorable weather and fertile soil.

Farmers must consider these factors before planting, said Toledo.

Iloilo farmers have an average landholding of 1.2 hectares each, PAW records showed./PN