Fighting Hunger, Negros Model! Rice, Sugarcane Intercropping Yields 2-MT/Ha. in Negros Occ.

The Province of Negros Occidental, where the infamous “Tiempos Muertes” or the Times of Death phrase was coined to describe joblessness and hunger during the period between planting and harvesting of sugarcane, has found an answer to the age-old curse.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson recently led the ceremonial harvest of rice intercropped with sugarcane which yielded an average of 2-metric tons of palay per hectare.

When milled and dried, the harvest could yield 24 bags of rice which is more than enough to feed a family of five for one whole year.

Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said the recent experiment was a follow through of previous efforts made by the provincial government to address the poverty and hunger of sugarcane worker families during the “Tiempos Muertes.”

“Tiempos Muertes” refers to the period after the end of all farm work when the sugarcane had grown tall and the time of harvest which stretches for about 5 to 6 months.

This is the period when hunger stalks the families of sugarcane workers.

Seeing a window of opportunity to grow rice alongside young sugarcane, the provincial agriculture office of Negros Occidental and sugar farmer participants initiated the Sugarcane-Rice Intercropping Program early this year.

Using an inbred rice variety, seeds were sown in between rows of newly-planted sugarcane giving rice a head start in growing.

When Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino, a lawyer-farmer and relative who actually comes from my hometown in M’lang, North Cotabato, informed me of the experiment, I asked him to give me updates on the progress.

I see the Negros Experiment not only as an answer to the curse of the “Tiempos Muertes” but as a perfect demonstration of the philosophy of Maximum Land Utilization which I advocate.

There are three provinces in Mindanao with sugar mills and thousands of hectares of sugarcane fields – Bukidnon, North Cotabato and Davao del Sur.

The Sugarcane-Rice Intercropping could be adopted in these areas to ensure food sufficiency among sugarcane farmers and workers.

The 2-metric ton per hectare yield could still be improved by using an early maturing hybrid rice variety which grows in the upland without irrigation, the Tatag TH 82 of Seedworks.

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will replicate the Negros Occidental Experiment in pilot areas in the three provinces with sugar farms this planting season.

This will be done in coordination with Seedworks and an organic fertilizer company, Natural Green, and the provincial governments of Bukidnon, North Cotabato and Davao del Sur.

As Chairman of MinDA whose main task is to ensure the socio-economic development of Mindanao through greater productivity and the reduction of poverty, I would like to thank Gov. Lacson and the leaders of Negros Occidental, especially PA Masculino, for showing us the way.

#FarmIsTheBestClassroom!

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#AgricultureIsCommonSense!

(First photo shows Gov. Lacson doing the ceremonial harvest using a mechanized rice cutter. Succeeding photos show the progress of the project from land preparation to harvest. Photos courtesy of Atty. Japhet Masculino, provincial agriculturist of Negros Occidental.)