Friday, October 24, 2008 Surallah eyeing to become RP's organic rice capital By Joy Romares-Sevilla
THE local government of Surralah in South Cotabato is trying to transform the agricultural town as the organic and biodynamic rice capital of the Philippines.
Surallah Mayor Romulo Solivio said the result of biodynamic organic farming in his town, which started four years ago, is very promising.
He cited several impacts the biodynamic organic farming has contributed to the agriculture sector in Surallah, which has remarkably improved as compared to the time when it did not adopt the system.
"Conventional farming makes the soil acidic and beneficial insects are killed, while with the organic and biodynamic farming, the soil fertility is enhanced and beneficial insects are maintained which serve as predators of harmful insects," Solivio said.
He revealed that the municipality has passed a resolution in 2004, during his first term, supporting the adoption of the biodynamic organic farming in Surallah. This was done in order to encourage farmers to shift from conventional or traditional farming to biodynamic organic farming.
"We have to resort to organic production because of the high cost of inputs like fertilizers. Farmers in our municipality are even discouraged to till their lands because there is no way to gain," Solivio said.
With organic farming, Solivio claimed that farmers have proven that self sufficiency and food security can be attained.
"There are many results and impacts of the system in our municipality. Chemical-free rice is made available to local constituents, and farmer adopters are now becoming free from the cycle of debts," Solivio said.
It was learned that the municipality is now producing 70-80 "kabans" of organic rice per hectare per cropping.
Solivio added that at present, the municipality has around 4,500-hectare rice fields planted with organic rice, with 2,500 palay farmers, some of whom have engaged into organic farming.
"We do encourage our farmers to go organic. We are making positive advocacy. We tell them that there is an alternative system which is correct. We don't tell them not to use the conventional way, but we show them the alternative way. That is why we only passed a resolution, not an ordinance, parang mabigat kasi ang ordinance and we cannot change the fact na may mga matitigas na ulo pa rin na mga magsasaka," the town mayor said.
Solivio stressed the economic status of farmers using the organic farming is better compared to those who are non-adopters.
He said in conventional farming, the cost of production of a farmer per hectare is P25,000 for the inputs, while P8,000 is only incurred for organic farming.
In terms of gross income, conventional farming can only give a farmer P56,000 per hectare, while P66,000 for a farmer who is into organic farming. In terms of the net income, farmers doing the conventional way only have P31,000 per hectare compared to the P58,000 for farmers doing the organic way.
"The return of investment in the organic farming is also high with 725 percent per hectare, while only 124 percent… for the conventional way," Solivio said.
Solivio has a rice mill in Surallah. He supplies organic rice to restaurants, particularly to Banoks in Davao City.
