Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Agri execs expect bumper harvest this year
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Agriculture officials are confident of a major increase in palay and corn production in South Cotabato and the neighboring areas this year due to the extended rainy season brought about by the weak La Niña phenomenon.
Reynaldo Legaste, South Cotabato agriculture office chief, said they expect a 35 to 40 percent increase in palay and corn production in the province's 10 towns and lone city during the first half of the year due to sufficient irrigation.
"The La Niña has given our farmers, especially those in the uplands and the rain-fed areas, the opportunity to plant beyond the regular planting season unlike last year when most of our production areas were already dried up by the drought as early as the first quarter," he said.
Because of the extended rainy season, Legaste said the production of corn and palay in most parts of the province has not taken a break since November.
He said the abundance of rains resulted to the opening of more than 25,000 hectares of upland and rain-fed corn and palay production areas last December and January.
Legaste said at least 25,000 hectares of palay were also planted last month in the irrigated areas of Surallah, Sto. Niño and Norala towns.
"We expect the palay harvests to begin later this month so we are already assured of enough rice supplies for the coming weeks," he said.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 28, 2006 issue)
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