ricefield |
By
JUNE S. BLANCO
QUEZON
CITY – Rep. Erico Aumentado (2nd District, Bohol) has urged the provincial
government to embrace rice hybridization in order to sustain the 113% rice self
sufficiency harvest in 2008 when the hybrid variety was earnestly propagated.
The solon made the appeal after receiving the report of the
Department of Agriculture Region 7 (DA 7) that Bohol registered a rice self
sufficiency of 76.17% only in 2011.
In a text message to Gov. Edgar Chatto, the legislator said,
“ Pare, I am sad per DA report during my meeting with the regional directors
last week in Cebu, Bohol’s rice self sufficiency was 76.17% due we concentrate
more on inbred rice seeds instead of hybrid. I wish we can work together to
sustain our 113% rice self sufficiency in 2008. I am pushing SL8 AND SL11 in
the 2nd district. Please call me when you are in Manila so we can discuss
collaborative effort for the good of Bohol.”
He followed up with another text message saying: “Do not
believe in canard I am running for governor. My interest now is to help the
Aquino mantra against corruption, and good governance thru the righteous path
and your administration attain rice self sufficiency and success for the good
of Bohol.”
Chatto was reported to have responded by way of
thanking the congressman and that he is validating data with agencies who
provided him the 2011 figures earlier of Bohol’s rice self sufficiency.
To note, Administrator Antonio Nangel of the National
Irrigation Administration is also pushing for the rice hybridization program
Aumentado’s district through the “plant hybrid rice and fertilize now, pay
later and the rice ratooning” program initiated by the solon to boost the
country’s rice production.
In 2008, the rice self sufficiency in Bohol reached a high
of 113%. It dropped to 108% in 2009 due to the El Nino phenomenon.
Since the 2nd district is the main beneficiary of the Bohol
Irrigation Project Stages 1 and 2, the Capayas and the Ilaya Small Reservoir
Irrigation Facilities, the solon launched the two rice production boosting
projects involving the private sector and government agencies in a
collaborative effort.
Aumentado started the ratooning program with a subsidy from
his Priority Assistance Development Fund (PDAF) in 540 hectares of rice land in
2011 and increased the area to 1,100 of rice land being subsidized with urea
fertilizer.
The target in 2013 is about 3,000 hectares of rice land to
be ratooned with an outlay of P3 million from his PDAF.
Meanwhile, it was learned that Rep. Arthur Yap (3rd
district, Bohol) has also pushed for the hybridization of rice production in
his district. In fact, he piloted the high yielding SL8 and SL11 hybrid rice in
Lila town where he sponsored a rice festival during the last harvest season.
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