January 26, 2007

 

Philippines' Southwestern Mindanao to launch information drive on corn, rice

 

 

In a bid to further improve the already surging palay (rice seeds) and corn production in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will launch in February a region-wide information drive on various crop production and postharvest technologies.

 

Zaldy Boloron, DA-12 rice and corn coordinator told Mindanao News daily the campaign will begin on February 1 through a regional rice and corn information caravan that would be held at the University of Southern Mindanao campus in Kabacan, Cotabato province.

 

Boloron said the information caravan, which is seen as the biggest gathering of rice and corn sector stakeholders, is part of a nationwide program that was launched in Jan 23 by the DA.

 

The campaign is primarily aimed at delivering various effective crop technologies down to the grassroots, he said.

 

Among those expected to grace the activity are officials of DA's attached agencies, local government officials, agriculture officials of local government units, feedmill  and livestock sector representatives, corn cluster

federation officers, rice and corn farmers and officials of the regional and provincial agriculture and fisheries

councils.

 

According to Boloron, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap earlier suggested the holding of such campaign after finding out that most of DA's crop productivity programs have not reached the countryside or grassroots farmers.

 

During the caravan, Boloron said they will present various rice and corn productivity and technology programs of DA as well as site visitations.

 

Boloron said the rice productivity program focuses on the adoption of the hybrid rice technology, which may reportedly triple the yield of rice farmers.

 

In Region 12, he said the average rice yield per hectare of the traditional rice varieties only reach at least two metric tonnes but the hybrid rice varieties may produce up to six metric tonnes per hectare.

 

For corn, Boloron said DA will introduce more postharvest technologies to complement the high corn production rate of the region's four provinces and five cities.

 

In 2006, Region 12's corn harvest reached 938,200 metric tonnes (MT), followed by Northern Mindanao at 938,200 MT, and Cagayan Valley at 769,500 MT.

 

Boloron said their department is initially planning to open additional corn postharvest processing and trading centres in the region, which was chosen as the project's pilot area last year.

 

A corn processing and trading facility was opened in Kabacan last year while another facility will open in Banga, South Cotabato in March this year.

 

Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato and the cities of Koronadal, General Santos, Cotabato, Tacurong and Kidapawan.