ARE Negrenses being taken for a ride?

Back in 2013, the website of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental said that under the Negros First! Food Security: “With certainty in the attainment of 100 percent self-sufficiency in rice for Negros Occidental on or before 2013.”

Early this year, the province can expect a rice bumper crop in 2018, and will further hasten its thrust toward achieving 100 percent rice self-sufficiency by stepping up farm mechanization, Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said.

Negros Occidental, from an 88 percent rice self-sufficiency level in 2016, hit 90 percent last year. The province can expect higher production in 2018 with the provision of certified and high breed seeds and shifting toward farm mechanization to increase rice yield per hectare.

According to Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter in February 2018, all Western Visayas provinces attained 100 percent rice sufficiency, save for Negros Occidental and Aklan, which are slightly behind at 90 percent.

In fact, my friend, Senior Agriculturist Dina Genzola of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, said Negros Occidental was about 94 percent rice sufficient last year. The introduction of hybrid rice varieties could boost the sufficiency to 100 percent.

Whew, that’s still almost 100 percent. In fact, I extended my congratulations several times to the province for a job well done.

Now Negrenses get this. The National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental is expecting the arrival of additional 130,000 bags of imported rice next month.

Can we have more reliable agricultural statistics? Can the responsible state agencies explain why targets are missed? I don’t want to be taken for a ride with conflicting data. (bqsanc@yahoo.com)