Farmers in Davao Oriental and Butuan City have increased their harvests through seed and training interventions from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Ramil Doronila, rice farmer from Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental, increased the yield in his 1.5ha from almost 4t/ha to more than 5t/ha.
For three seasons, he planted NSIC Rc 480, Rc 506, and Rc 216, which he received from the RCEF Seed Program. These varieties are also resistant against stem borer, blast, sheath blight, brown planthopper, and green leaf hopper.
“I have been using PSB Rc 18 for the longest time. But when I saw the performance of new varieties in the PalaySikatan demo farm, I took the risk of trying something new,” the 52-year-old farmer said.
Meanwhile, Ahmid Catubig from Brgy. Sto. Niño, Butuan City said his harvest doubled from 3.6t/ha to a little over 6t/ha by applying the recommended pest and nutrient management he learned from an RCEF short course in February this year.
“By utilizing ecologically sound rice management practices, we can avoid yield loss and maximize rice yield potential,” the farmer for 22 years said.
He conducts agro-ecosystem analysis daily to check on the population of harmful insects like the stem borer, which is common in their locality. He also monitors needed soil nutrients through the Minus-One-Element Technique — a diagnostic tool used to identify deficient macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and micronutrients including sulfur, zinc, and copper.
The RCEF Seed and Rice Extension Services Programs are components of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law (RTL). The RTL allocates P1 billion every year to enhance the capacities of rice farmers to become competitive in rice production.
