Marañon eyes 100% rice self-sufficiency

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  — Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. has bared his development agenda in 2012, foremost of which is to make the province 100-percent self-sufficient in rice.

“Hopefully by the end of the year, we are self-sufficient in rice already. We are almost there, so we intend to strengthen the farmer’s cooperatives so that we can give them the necessary funding to be able to reach our target,” Marañon said.

The governor said the provincial government has given the Kabisig Rice Cooperative in Bago City a P5 million to improve its rice mill, other facilities and warehouse.

The provincial government will also help Kabisig to go into palay buying, aside from what is being done by the National Food Authority, to spare rice farmers from being at the mercy of low rates offered by traders, he said.

There were also plans to construct this year three rice processing centers (RPCs), one each in central, north and south Negros.

Marañon said that for central Negros, Bago City has been eyed as the main site there are at most 14,000 hectares of rice fields there.

Another area identified for RPC is Barangay Codcod in San Carlos City, which hosts 5,000 hectares of fully irrigated farms.

In the south, the RPC will be constructed within the area of Binalbagan town or Himamaylan City, with a Korean company is being eyed to finance such project.

“We will also revive the aquaculture industry in the province. There is a huge potential for aquaculture,” Marañon said.  (FREEMAN)