THE Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) of Negros Occidental has noted a two-year consecutive drop in the province’s rice self-sufficiency level mainly due to effects of El Niño phenomenon.
OPA’s Rice Production Demand, Surplus, Deficit and Sufficiency Level Reports showed that in 2014, the self-sufficiency rate of rice (SSRR) in Negros Occidental was 98 percent.
The figure was accounted from total rice demand of 403,547.95 metric tons with production of only 395,492.60 metric tons, or a shortfall of 8,055.35 metric tons.
The province’s SSRR significantly went down by 7.04 percent in 2015 at 90.96 percent.
With the demand of 354,420 metric tons, Negros Occidental had a shortfall of 32,053.36 metric tons, resulting from production of 322,366.64 metric tons only.
Another drop of 3.25 percent was noted last year after the SSRR in Negros Occidental decreased to 87.71 percent, OPA reports further showed.
The province produced 312,359.97 metric tons, or short of 43,761.03 metric tons from its demand of 356,121 metric tons in 2016.
All in all, a total of 10.29 percent decrease in rice self-sufficiency level was recorded in Negros Occidental in the last two years, it added.
Jusie Balinas, provincial report officer for rice, on Monday, June 5, said the huge drop in the province's rice production is attributed to El Niño effects, particularly prolonged dry weather which started in 2015.
Balinas also cited the late onset of rainy season last year, which resulted to delays in planting.
"Most of the rain-fed areas in the province were not able to produce during second cropping of both 2015 and 2016," she added.
OPA added that of the almost 65,000-hectare area devoted to rice in the province, about 22,377 hectares are still dependent to rain.
A total of 2,199.08 hectares are situated upland also with no access to irrigation.
The remaining 40,114.4 hectares are irrigated rice areas.
Balinas said the rain-fed and upland farms are supposed to produce a total of about 101,000 metric tons.
“It is even more than the province's shortfall last year thus, it can really offset the needed requirement. If we were not hit by El Niño, the province is already self-sufficient even with surplus in terms of rice," she added.
Despite the drop, Balinas said the OPA is still optimistic that the province could recover in its rice output this year as long as local farmers can start planting this month towards the second cropping in September.
The OPA had earlier reported that the calamity has brought damage and losses worth P470 million to agro-fishery sector of Negros Occidental last year.
Of the amount, almost P253 million was incurred by the rice sector, it added.