The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is setting up demo areas that will explore the potential of upland rice farming in the region using Israel’s pressurized irrigation and fertigation technology.
In a statement, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, said the project, with a budget of P500,000, will be coordinated with local government units, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and rice seeds company US Seedworks.
“MinDA will introduce modern upland rice farming using hybrid seeds and the indigenous upland rice varieties. The demonstration farms will be about 1,000 square meters each and will be established in the traditional rice farming areas of Cenrtral Mindanao, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Caraga, Zamboanga region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous region,” Piñol said.
Piñol said each of the demonstration farm will have a pressurized irrigation and fertigation facility which will provide water and fertilization in a scientifically programmed schedule.
MinDA said the project will give traditional upland rice farmers a second crop. Planting in the demonstration farms will start towards the end of July and early August when the traditional upland rice farms have been harvested.
“Traditional upland rice farming in Mindanao starts February to March in time with the rainy season and the harvest of upland rice varieties like Dinorado and Hinumay is done June to July. Since upland rice farming is dependent on rains and indigenous rice varieties are used, the yield is a maximum 2 to 2.5 metric tons (MT) per hectare,” Piñol said.
Meanwhile, Bangsamoro Assistant Secretary Sailila Abdula will lead a technical team composed of representatives from MinDA and PhilRice to supervise the demonstration farms and also come up with the estimated yield, cost and income of the effort.
US Seedworks, whose hybrid upland rice seeds Tatag TH 82 was selected to be used in the demo farms, will donate seeds and inputs.
Piñol said Tatag TH 82 which was field tested in dry seeding in Central Mindanao, previously recorded harvests of up to 10 MT per hectare but will also be trialled to be planted with indigenous rice varieties for a comparative study.
“With vast upland areas which are largely unutilized, especially in the indigenous people’s ancestral domains, MinDA believes that modern upland rice farming could provide food security and income for Mindanao’s poor rural farming families,” he added.
For this year, the Department of Agriculture is aiming for the country to produce at least 20.4 million MT of palay to surpass 2020’s record of 19.44 million MT. -J. Macapagal
