Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture - DA-PhilRice beefs up for rice self-sufficiency

DA-PhilRice beefs up for rice self-sufficiency

Written by The Web Team
Monday, 25 May 2009
Close to 100 rice sufficiency officers (RSOs) and PhilRice officials nationwide gathered for the re-tooling workshop as part of DA- PhilRice’ Strategic Support Services for Rice Self-Sufficiency (S5), May 13-16. S5 is DA-PhilRice’ program in support of the government’s Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan (RSSP). The Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan envisions a 100% self-sufficiency in rice by 2013. It aims to increase palay production from 16.2 million metric tons (MMT) in 2007 to 21.6 MMT in 2013 to ensure the availability of rice for 100 million Filipinos. Moreover, it aims to raise income from rice farming and reduce the Philippines’ rice importation. “The Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) rice program has increased rice production in some provinces to more than 4 t/ha but there is still more than 1 million ha that need to be transformed into more productive and profitable rice farms,” said Ruben Miranda, Deputy Director for Development. “In this regard, S5 was developed to identify yield constraints and develop high-yielding location-specific technologies to achieve rice self-sufficiency” Miranda said. To intensify strategic support services for rice self-sufficiency program, PhilRice has developed three program components. They are location-specific technology development (LSTD), capacity building, and rice information and communication. “LSTD was created since agro-climatic conditions vary widely from place to place resulting in great variability in rice fields or yields,” Miranda said. He added that a localized and partnership-driven on farm rice technology development will work together in analyzing field problems and in the planning and implementation of on-farm trials. RSOs will serve as key personnel in their respective provincial assignments. The capacity-building component targets to train 245 rice production specialists in 2009 and 2010 who will eventually train local extension workers and farmers on rice production and lead the development and implementation of location-specific technology development and Palayamanan practices. Since 2008, DA-PhilRice has trained 116 rice specialists on the PalayCheck system, a package of rice technologies and practices for improved yield, and on Palayamanan, a diversified rice cropping system. Social mobilization for rice self-sufficiency, protocol on the implementation of location specific technology demonstration (LSTD), site characterization, participatory approaches and tools, process documentation, tools in analyzing on-farm data, and RSOs’ duties and responsibilities were among the topics discussed. To widen the scope of the program, DA-PhilRice will develop intensive rice information and communication services to ensure easy and timely access of extension workers and farmers to the latest information on rice production using print, radio, TV, and information and communication technology.
Last Updated ( Monday, 25 May 2009 )