Lost opportunities POOR FARMING PRACTICES CAUSE LOW PRODUCTIVITY

By Manny Piñol

On my way to Masinloc, Zambales today, I passed by ricefields along the highway which gave me an idea on why rice productivity in the Philippines is very low.

The ricefields which I saw in the town of Cabanga were obviously poorly tended to as shown by the weeds which grew alongside the rice.

Tall talahib grass also grew on the dikes as if to emphasize the negligence on the part of the farmer who owns the farm.

In the paddy, I also noticed big empty spaces between the rice tillers indicating that the farmer does not apply the proper planting density.

What made the situation truly disappointing was the fact that very near the rice fields I saw three big rivers flowing from Mt. Pinatubo straight to the ocean, indicating the great potentials of the area for rice production.

The sad thing about what I saw today is that this poor farming practice by our rice farmers is not only happening in Zambales but in many other parts of the country.

This is precisely the reason why the country’s average palay yield per hectare per harvest is only 3.9 metric tons while the Vietnamese rice farmer harvests 7 metric tons per hectare.

Actually, if our rice farmers could only increase their yield by 1 metric ton per harvest from the national harvest area of 4.7 million hectares yearly, the rice supply shortage of 1.8-million metric tons annually could be very well covered.

What I saw made me realize the great challenge I face as President Rody Duterte envisions a food sufficient country for the Filipino people.

Not only do we need irrigation, good seeds and fertilizers to succeed.

There is a greater task and that is how to change the mindset of our rice farmers and convince them to adopt better and more productive farming practices.

With the leadership of a very determined and committed President, I take on the challenge.

We can do it and we must do it.

#Changeishere! #PresRodyCares! #DuterteDelivers! #BiyahengBukid!

(Photos show a poorly-cared ricefield and two huge Zambales Rivers flowing from Mt. Pinatubo. )