Extreme heat hits rice farms in southern Negros

BACOLOD CITY — The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) in Negros Occidental has monitored reports of damage to rice farms in a southern municipality due to extreme heat.

Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said as of Sunday, they are validating reports which indicate that farmers in Cauayan whose rice crops are now in different stages have incurred damages.

“Lack of water in this area might be already an effect of the upcoming summer season intensified by El Niño phenomenon. We are also monitoring other localities in the province,” he said.

A rice field in Sipalay City, situated next to Cauayan town, hit by dry spell in early 2016
*File photo courtesy of OPA-Negros Occidental*

Masculino said OPA validators are assessing whether the damage in Cauayan is an effect of dry spell or not.

Late last month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in an advisory that a mild El Niño phenomenon has already been affecting some provinces in the country.

A weak El Niño is occurring in the tropical Pacific region and will likely continue until the second quarter of the year, it said, adding that this may cause varying impacts such as warmer than average surface temperature and prolonged dry season.

Masculino advised farmers to observe “timing” in planting crops, and to avoid planting rice in areas where water sources are depleted for the meantime.

Farmers may instead resort to vegetable production, he said.

The OPA chief said that for sugarcane, the main crop of Negros Occidental, 35 percent of the total farms is still up for harvest.

“The remaining areas for planting may have problems especially when the farms have no near water sources like irrigation,” he added.

Based on weather forecast, extreme heat and its effects will be felt most during this month as rainfall is way below normal.

“Given this projection, we could expect that summer and El Niño effects can be felt only in a short span of time,” Masculino said.

He said, however, that mitigating measures should be put in place to lessen the possible adverse effects of dry weather to the province’s agriculture sector.

Funds will be allocated for possible cloud seeding operation, and the OPA also requested for support from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Western Visayas, he added.

Masculino said they are also speeding up the procurement of equipment such as water and irrigation pumps especially for areas that need water. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063494

NegOcc gears up to cushion effects of El Niño

BACOLOD CITY — The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) is gearing up to cushion possible effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon on crops in Negros Occidental.

“The province is initiating ways to mitigate its effects, such as cloud seeding,” Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said Thursday.

A parched land in a southern Negros town in early 2016 as a result of prolonged dry spell in the province.
*File photo from OPA-Negros Occidental*

He added that the OPA is also eyeing the acquisition of water and irrigation pumps for farmers and has been monitoring the weather situation since last year as part of its preparations.

El Niño, characterized by unusually warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP), could affect the normal rainfall pattern in the country, generally resulting in reduced rainfall.

In 2016, the OPA reported dry spell damage and losses of about PHP470 million in the agro-fishery sector of Negros Occidental.

In its El Niño Advisory No. 1 issued on Wednesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) reported that climate monitoring and analyses indicate that the unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the CEEP, which began in November last year, is expected to become a full-blown El Niño.

The weather pattern is “anticipated to be weak and will likely result in below normal rainfall conditions in different parts of the country in the coming months,” it added.

“All concerned agencies and the general public are advised to take precautionary measures to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of El Niño. PAGASA will closely monitor these conditions and regular updates and advisories shall be issued as appropriate,” the agency further said. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062684

NegOcc prepares farmers for rice tariffication

BACOLOD CITY — The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) of Negros Occidental underscored the need to prepare rice farmers for coping with challenges brought by the tariffication measure.

“Our farmers really need the help of the government mainly in terms of lowering down production cost and increasing productivity,” Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said on Sunday, two days after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the measure lifting restrictions on rice importation.

Masculino noted that one major effect would be cheaper price of imported than locally-produced rice.

Rice stocks imported by the National Food Authority being unloaded at the Bredco port in Bacolod City.
File photo from National Food Authority-Negros Occidental

Necessary interventions should be done immediately given the little time to prepare as the implementing rules and regulations may be out soon, he added.

Negros Occidental is known as the country’s top sugar-producing province, but it has also become one of the top 10 rice producers in the past years in its bid to become 100 percent rice-sufficient.

Masculino said one measure to reduce production cost of Negrense rice farmers is mechanization, which the provincial government has already been implementing since last year.

He added that if the government can seriously implement mechanization by providing funds for the purchase of machineries, it would be a big help because labor comprises more than 50 percent of the total production cost.

“Our mechanization accomplishment, especially in the planting and harvesting stages, is still minimal. If we can just fully mechanize at least our irrigated areas of 40 hectares, it would already be a big thing,” Masculino said.

Duterte certified the rice tariffication bill as urgent in October 2018 “to address the urgent need to improve availability of rice in the country, to prevent artificial rice shortage, reduce the prices of rice in the market, and curtail the prevalence of corruption and cartel domination in the rice industry.”

A month after the President certified the measure as urgent, a report on the bill was ratified by the bicameral conference committee.

Under the rice tariffication law, quantitative restrictions on rice importation are lifted and private traders are allowed to import the commodity from countries of their choice.

The law imposes a 25-percent duty on rice imports from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-states and a 50-percent rate on imports from non-members of the regional bloc. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062168

NegOcc cassava farmers receive P3-M in equipment

BACOLOD CITY — A group of cassava farmers in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental received PHP3 million worth of farm machines from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The pieces of equipment, which include a four-wheel tractor, a cassava chipper, and three units of water pump, are expected to boost the farmers’ production capacity.

Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino, who led the turn-over rites in Barangay Odiong on Thursday, said a huge part of the 30-hectare contiguous farm being cultivated by the Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association is devoted to food-grade variety of cassava.

One of the machines received by the Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental from the Department of Agriculture-Western Visayas under the agency’s cassava development program.
*Contributed photo*

“The machines would help the recipient-farmers, who are agrarian reform beneficiaries, especially in the land preparation,” he said.

Masculino added that the pieces of equipment can also help the organization generate income through custom plowing, or allowing non-member farmers or associations subject to rental fee.

The support services given to the Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association is provided by the DA-Western Visayas under its cassava development program, through the assistance of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO).

The Barangay Odiong Cassava Farmers Association, comprised of 36 farmer-members, delivers up to 30 sacks of fresh cassava twice a week to an institutional buyer in Bacolod City.

Their area is considered a model farm as they were able to sustain the production on top, having the largest contiguous area devoted to cassava in the province.

Through the machines, OPA hopes the association can also fully utilize the entire area for cassava production, Masculino said,

He noted that although the project is a dole-out, the OPA will still monitor the implementation, specifically to determine whether the equipment have helped boost productivity and profitability of the association.

Masculino said they also recognized the need of the farmers for additional interventions, including livelihood projects like free-range chicken dispersal and value-adding trainings.

“Value-adding interventions include processing of cassava cake, flour and other cassava-based products as sources of additional income and livelihood,” he added.

The OPA chief said the farmers can be introduced to a credit facility through the Production Loan Easy Access program, mainly for additional capital. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062015