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Thursday, April 24, 2008
Farmers' summit finds ways to increase farm yields
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The farmers' summit held in this city on Wednesday successfully pinpointed ways to increase farm productivity in Pampanga's third district amid concerns of rice shortage in the country.
Representative Aurelio Gonzales Jr., who initiated the summit under the prodding of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, said the summit brought to fore the problems that are hounding the agriculture of the district that covers about 16,400 hectares of land intended for rice production.
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Gonzales said the farmers and agriculture officials who attended the summit identified the problem of irrigation as among the major concerns in rice production.
While the entire region is expecting to produce 716,845.58 metric tons (MTs) of milled rice until June this year -- a 122.53 percent sufficiency considering the demand of only 585,051.92 MTs -- the district needs to increase its rice productivity, which is only at 90 percent sufficiency rate.
About 100 farmers from the four towns of the district, Arayat, Sta. Ana, Mexico and Bacolor, and this city attended the summit at Jojo's Place Restaurant.
Agriculture Regional Director Redentor Gatus and agriculture officials from the province and various municipalities participated in the discussion to determine the projects that need to be implemented to assist the farmers get higher yields.
In the district, about 4,294 hectares of the total 16,396 hectares of rice land are dependent on rainwater. About 12,102 hectares are irrigated.
The irrigated farmlands produce an average yield of 4.48 MTs per harvest season while the rain-fed land only produces an average yield of 3.98 MTs.
Gonzales said the common problem of farmers in the province revolves around the need for irrigation, farm-to-market roads, fertilizer, and post-harvest facilities like solar dryers.
He said the President has allocated P67 billion for irrigation. Through this budget, major irrigation systems will be constructed and existing ones would be rehabilitated. (ABL)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (April 24, 2008 issue)
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