DAVAO ORIENTAL — In line with the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP) of the Department of Agriculture, the Provincial Agriculture’s Office of Davao Oriental started the distribution of rice seedlings to the municipalities of Lupon and Governor Generoso — the first two municipalities in the province who benefited from the RCEP.
“Through RCEP, we are set to distribute inbred and hybrid rice seedlings to our rice farmers in the whole province to meet halfway with the national government’s goal of food security for the whole country,” Provincial Agriculture Office Head Rotchie Ravelo said in an interview.
He said that approximately 7,500 bags of rice seedlings will be planted to around 7,000 hectares of rice land, and will benefit 8,000 rice farmers in the province.
Mr. Ravelo added that all irrigator’s associations and cooperatives will be supplied with rice seedlings, as well as free fertilizers to ensure maximization of productivity and minimize production cost by 30%.
“We are aiming for our farmers to be more competitive. For this year, we will try to surpass our 2019 productivity, and reach the 6 metric tons per hectare production rate,” he said.
“The 7,500 bags of seeds that they will produce will be a tremendous boost to elevate the level of productivity in the province,” he added.
The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program is under the Pagkain at Kita: Sustainable Agriculture Village Enterprise (SAVE) initiative of the government whose goal is to secure food for the people.
During the distribution on December 3 and 4, 2020, Mr. Ravelo was joined by Vice-Governor Niño Sotero L. Uy and former Board Member Daud Linsag.
In his message, Vice-Governor Uy specifically pointed out that this program targets productivity, competency, and profitability for the rice farmers.
To ensure that the seeds will yield the expected quality and results, Mr. Ravelo said that urea fertilizers were also included in the distribution.
In the next few days, the Provincial Agriculture’s Office will distribute rice seeds and fertilizers to the remaining municipalities of the province. By Shaye Dacles/Photos Courtesy of Provincial Agriculture Office
