NIA CONTRACT FARMS TO PRODUCE P29/KG RICE
Through the government's contract farming program, farmers could efficiently produce rice, reducing its average production cost to less than P15 per kilogram (kg), and subsequently sell rice at P29/kg.
"In fact, on the last week of July, our farmers in Region 3 (Central Luzon), CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region), Region 4B (MIMAROPA), UPRIIS (Upper Pampanga Integrated Irrigation System), and Region 13 (CARAGA), who planted hybrid rice varieties will start harvesting from an initial 40,000 hectares under our rice contract farming program," said Engineer Eduardo Guillen, Administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). "And we expect an additional 50,000 tons of palay by August, from other regions." he added.
"We sincerely thank President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for approving our 2024 budget, worth P70.22 billion, of which P3.4 billion was allotted for the contract farming program," said Guillen, who formerly served as Mayor of Piddig, Ilocos Norte.
As part of NIA's contract farming program, Guillen said "we adjusted the dry season planting calendar starting in October, to enable farmers plant another crop in February next year."
"As a result, we could produce three crops of palay from the same area, that are efficiently irrigated, where farmers plant the recommended rice varieties, complete with fertilizers and package of technology," the NIA chief said.
"We also envision to put up a rice processing facility in every town, where we implement our NIA contract farming program," he added.
Finally, he said NIA will closely monitor and manage the major irrigation dams during the rainy season so these would not overflow and cause unwanted flooding in surrounding communities.
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