Bulacan receives Rice Achiever Award

MALOLOS, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture has recognized Bulacan as one of the top 10 provinces with significant contribution to its rice sufficiency program for the third consecutive year.

Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado, together with provincial agriculture officer Ma. Gloria Carrillo, received the plaque of recognition for Bulacan during  the recent 2014 Agri- Pinoy Rice Achiever Awards held  at the Resorts World Manila. 

Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics shows that Bulacan has increased its 2014 production to 368,393 MT from 366,927 MT in 2013 despite the occurrence of calamities and   irrigation water shortages.

Average yield of 4.47 MT/has in 2013 to 4.49 MT/has in 2014 has also been recorded.

The Provincial Agriculture Office reported that appropriate interventions were provided to farmers like the conduct of Palay Check Farmers’ Field School, provision of small-scale irrigation support, provision of farm machineries and post-harvest facilities, access to financing (SIKAT SAKA Program) coupled with the provision of inputs like organic fertilizer and locally funded seed subsidy.

Carrillo said that innovations on the promotion of production technologies through the School-on-Air program aired over Radyo Bulacan, conduct of “Usapang Palay” using a mobile techno-van, and capability building support to AEWs helped the province reached the top 10.

However, some Bulacan farmer groups are wondering why despite the consecutive awards that the province reaps, there seems to be unregulated land conversions on irrigated farmlands like that in Barangay Parulan in Plaridel town and the disappearing irrigation supply to thousands of hectares of irrigated rice lands situated at the tail-end sections of the National Irrigation Administration service areas.

The same problems are also being felt in Bocaue town despite an assurance from Malacanang early in P-Noy’s term that the problem would be looked into.

At least 300 hectares of irrigated rice lands are not anymore getting irrigation during the dry-season cropping.