Bohol is top rice producer in CVisayas

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – Bohol province has remained the rice granary of Central Visayas with consistent increase in rice production over the years.

Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that Bohol produced a total of 77,597 metric tons of rice in the last three months, up from the 68,583 MTs during the same period last year.

Larry Pamugas, OIC of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist said that of this total production, 39,688 MTs came from irrigated rice fields, while 37,909 metric tons came from rainfed areas.

Coming in second was Negros Oriental even if it had decreased yield from 15,566 MTs in the first quarter last year to 13,055 MTs this year. Of this total, 11,457 MTs were from irrigated areas, while the rest from rainfed fields.

In the same period, Cebu at third producer with 6,010 MTs this year from 5,536 MTs last year, of which 5,827 MTs came from irrigated areas.

Rice production in the first quarter also decreased in Siquijor province, from 1,120 MTs last year to only 574 MTs this year wherein 1,016 MTs of the total yield came from irrigated fields.

Pamugas said the figures showed that Bohol contributed the bulk of Central Visayas' rice stock of 97,236 MTs from January to March this year-an increase of 7.08 percent or from 90,805 MTs in the same period last year.

Yield increase in Bohol has been attributed to “increased usage of high-yielding variety (hybrid) from the government and private sector through the plant-now-pay-later scheme,” said Pamugas, adding that the rise in production from rainfed areas was due to “increased usage of good seeds from the seed banking program of the government.”  (FREEMAN)