Dinagat Islands — A year after the province’s inclusion in the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program, Dinagat Islands has doubled its yield per hectare from 2021 to 2023 wet season.
Data from RCEF’s Rice Seed Monitoring System showed that the province’s yield increased from 2.11t/ha to 4.64t/ha. This was recorded in the new RCEF-covered areas in PhilRice Agusan including Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo, Loreto, San Jose, and Tubajon, where interventions such as the distribution of free certified inbred seeds were implemented, ensuring a guaranteed 10% yield increase.
Noteworthy varieties distributed in the province include NSIC Rc 160, NSIC Rc 480, NSIC Rc 216, and NSIC Rc 436.
“The yield increase is significantly contributed by the introduction of high-yielding and suitable varieties to the island,” Provincial Agriculturist Rico B. Galinato said.
Cosme Mabanag, a 59-year-old farmer from the province, reported an increase in his yield from approximately 4.0t/ha to 5.25t/ha after planting NSIC Rc 160 on his 1ha.
“Since planting certified inbred seeds, my yield has improved, with fewer pest occurrences,” Mabanag said, highlighting the uniform growth, maturity, and ripening of the RCEF seeds he received.
Before RCEF intervention, most farmers in the province relied on home-saved seeds or seeds that farmers save from their own harvest to use in the next planting season.
