Dr. Frisco Malabanan, national program director of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani Rice Program presented the statistics to the participants of the recent Department of Agriculture’s FIELDS InfoCaravan/InfoKlinik and launching of the Bohol Rice Sufficiency Plan for 2008-2010 held here. FIELDS stands for fertilizer; irrigation; extension, education and training; loans; driers and other post-harvest facilities; and seeds.

Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado said it is a strong indication that the province’s rice sufficiency plan — the Rice Accelerated Enhancement Response (Racer) included — is attainable.

He said in spite of the province’s existing multi-billion peso irrigation facilities, Bohol is only 82.5 percent rice self-sufficient. To increase production, he allocated in this year’s budget some P16 million for the rice hybridization and Plant-Now-Pay-Later program and another P15 million for the Fertilize-Now-Pay-Later program—with instructions to release the funds the soonest possible time for the immediate implementation of these Racer components in time for this cropping season and beat the self-imposed deadline.

The province, in tandem with DA launched Project Racer in response to the global rice crisis.

Farmers, irrigator associations, municipal agricultural officers, agricultural technologists, farm technicians and others in the farming sector gathered for the event.

Aumentado encouraged them to apply FIELDS and avail of Project Racer in order to increase their production.

"With President Arroyo behind us and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap strongly supporting us, I am confident that we can attain rice self-sufficiency as early as the first cropping season of 2009," he said.

"The self-imposed deadline is heavy enough, but with everyone united and collaborating--which is the call of the hour in these trying times--I am confident that we can achieve the target in order to free us from the bondage of poverty and hunger," he added.

Figures

Quoting Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) figures, Malabanan had said Bohol’s 163,441 metric tons (mt) palay production in 2007 out of Central Visayas’ total of 251,802 mt pulled the figures up for Region 7. Bohol needs improvement in the yield area only 2.32 mt/hectare (ha.), compared to Cebu’s 2.98; Negros Oriental’s 3.34 and Siquijor’s 3.35 but it topped in hectarage planted to rice at 70,541 compared to Cebu’s 4,957; Negros Oriental’s 21,315 and Siquijor’s 694.

In the area of production, Negros Oriental’s 71,268 mt was a poor second to Bohol’s. Cebu managed only 14,769 mt and Siquijor, 2,324 mt.

Under the GMA Rice Program, the BAS forecast for the country for January to June 2008 is a production target of 7,375,916 mt. But its production forecast stands at 7,120,719 mt. Compared to the 2007 production estimate of 6,727,880 mt, the production increment is 392,839 mt or a production growth of 5.84 percent.

For Region 7, the first semester production is 152,564 mt harvested from 51,882 has. or an average yield of 2.94 mt/ha. This spells a production increment of 58,593 mt or production growth of 62.35 percent which is the highest growth by region, Malabanan pointed out.

Bohol’s production for January to June 2008 stands at 108,818 mt from 38,550 has., or an average yield of 2.82 mt/ha. Compared to the 2007 production of 61,053 mt, the production increment is 47,765 mt or a production growth of 78.24 percent--the highest growth in the country by province, Malabanan stressed.

Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Dennis Araullo gave an overview on FIELDS.

On the other hand, the crowd applauded the announcement of Rep. Edgar Chatto of Bohol’s 1st District, senior vice chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, that the magna carta for the agricultural sector is now with the Appropriations Committee.

In a symbolic gesture of commitment to support President Arroyo’s rice program, Aumentado turned over to Araullo a copy of Bohol’s rice sufficiency plan.