Misamis Occidental breaches 2023 rice harvest target by 1MT

THE province of Misamis Occidental saw an increase in rice production in 2023 as its farmers reached yields up to 6 metric tons (MT) per hectare.

Governor Henry Oaminal Sr. happily shared the positive results and commended the farmers for having a good harvest year.

“With our farmers, there was an increased production yield. Originally, our production yield was around 4.6 to 4.9 MT per hectare, but this year’s harvest produced 5.6 to 6 MT per hectare — which is even higher than the national target,” said Oaminal.

The growth of rice production, according to Oaminal, confirms the impact of the provincial government’s Asenso Rice Farmers Full Assistance (ARFFA) flagship initiative. 

Through the program, Misamis Occidental distributes free fertilizers and land preparation inputs assistance to farmers. Farmers may also use provincial government-owned farm equipment and machinery free of charge, which helps cut the farmers’ production costs.

The local agriculture program, Oaminal explained, also seeks to maintain food self-sufficiency levels in the province, which is attained by providing sustainable assistance to farmers. 

ARFFA helps “increase the production yield of farmers with low production costs to elevate their income and quality of life, and at the same time improve our own province’s gross domestic product,” he added.

“We Misamisnons are grateful for the very productive harvest year. We will continue to improve the program so we may look forward to another year of good harvests in 2024,” he continued. PR