MikeLigalig.com

Will an ambitious 120% rice sufficiency in Bohol attainable two years from now? The Provincial Agriculture Office believes so.

Rushing to fill the empty rice bowls of rice deficient Central Visayas, Bohol farm authorities shared that attaining the 40% increase in the region’s rice production share in two years can be done as long as concerned officials and workers take on the dare.

Rice is still Bohol’s leading staple crop supplying a rice equivalent of 107,983 metric tons for the region in 2009, registering a surplus of 844 metric tons. By 2013 however, it hopes to bag 35,118 metric tons surplus, already considering consumption by increment population increase, Larry Pamugas, assistant provincial agriculturist explains.

According to a rice sufficiency plan presented by the Office of the Provincial Agriculture, the ultimate goal is to increase the current 67.9% of rice Bohol supplies to the whole region’s total requirement.

The end goal however is to increase the average per hectare yield to 250,550 to 265,833 metric tones from an annual average of 229,636 this year.

This means an incremental rate of at least 2 metric tons per hectare yield from 2010-2013, increase milling recovery to 65.4% and pitch for a 70% increase in the adoption of high yielding rice varieties.

Confident it can be done, Pamugas sees a glimpse of hope, as rice is only planted in 25% of the total agricultural lands in Bohol, he showed.

Opening up a bigger share, say 40% of the total agricultural lands necessarily raise the chances of and increased produce.

Moreover, he showed mayors during a recent meeting that producing high quality whole grains, organic varieties and the world sought Japonica varieties along can already spell the difference in harvest yield per hectare.

Agricultural promotion Center authorities here, led by Engr. Eugene Cahiles since the rice crisis threatened to hit Bohol, have been convincing farmers to take the shift and see for themselves the huge difference.

Pamugas, who carries the burden of manhandling the ambition to its reality, also hinted that with the government help to ensure access of industry through, public-private sector partnerships is a huge boosting power to propel the dream.

He told mayors that private-public partnerships in financing and putting up the proper technical support can spur quality seeds production.
 
The same partnership can help in putting up irrigation facilities, appropriate post harvest facilities, as well as adoption of environment friendly and cost-effective technologies. (racPIABohol)

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