THE City Agriculturist Office has intensified its campaign on high-breed palay planting, which is aimed to increase the rice production in Zamboanga City.

City agriculturist high-breed rice coordinator Kenndy Punzalan said they embarked on the campaign to encourage farmers to plant the high-breed variety as it produces 15 percent higher yield in every hectare compared to the ordinary variety.

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Punzalan said a hectare of high-breed rice produces at least six to seven metric tons, while a hectare of in-breed rice produces only four metric tons of rice.

Punzalan said the rice production of the local farmers could only supply 22 percent of the public consumption.

The rest of the supply of rice comes from nearby provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, and as far as Iloilo and Cotabato provinces.

Punzalan said the unabated land conversion and continuous increase of the population are among the contributory factors why the local farmers could not supply the local rice demand.

The other factor is that 100 percent of the local population now consumes palay as staple, unlike before wherein 30 percent of the residents eat corn.

Punzalan said that not all rice fields in Zamboanga City are suitable for the high-breed rice variety.

He said farmers are encouraged to continue planting the ordinary or in-breed variety of rice in areas not suitable for the high-breed type.

Farmers in non-irrigable lands are also encouraged to plant the upland variety of palay to further boost the local rice production, he added.