Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Rapid land conversion threatens rice shortage
By Raquel C. Bagnol
THERE may be no apparent threat of a rice shortage yet, but the rapid conversion of rice fields to banana plantations in Davao del Norte will lead to this in the near future, Kapalong Mayor Dominador Cruda has warned.
"Only about 10 percent of the rice fields in Kapalong have been converted to banana plantations as of now, and this has no impact yet on the supply and production of rice, but we are concerned that would not be the case in the future," Cruda said in a press conference during the celebration of the municipality's 57th founding anniversary on Sunday.
Cruda said in the next few years, it would not come as a surprise if more and more rice farmers will shift to banana farming because bananas fetch a higher profit than rice.
Of the municipality's 2,203 hectares of rice fields, 229.6 hectares have been converted to banana farms, but expansions are still going on.
Of the converted area, 218 hectares are planted with cavendish bananas while 10 hectares are planted with cardava.
Davao del Norte Vice Governor Anthony del Rosario shared Cruda's views and said economic reasons prodded rice farmers to look for more income.
"Rice is a political commodity, a basic commodity whose price can be controlled by the government," he said.
Del Rosario said the government should assist the rice farmers to evaluate which areas are best fitted for rice and which areas in the province are best suited for planting bananas.
"For instance, New Corella is an area best for rice farming. This is where the government can come in to assist farmers in the development and increased rice production," del Rosario said.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 2, 2005 issue)
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