The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) launched an initiative to help farmers in Marinduque province maximize rice crop output during the period between the dry and wet seasons.
The program provides certified inbred seeds, a key input for the recently adopted double dry cropping system, which aims to boost farm productivity and farmers’ incomes by allowing an extra planting season.
The DA’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the NIA are collaborating with other DA programs for the initiative. The Seed Program, backed by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), allocated 5,546 bags of certified inbred seeds for Marinduque farmers, covering 2,558 hectares of land under the NIA’s Double Dry Cropping Scheme.
Initial deliveries were made to farmers in Mogpog and Santa Cruz, who now have access to NSIC Rc 160, a high-yielding variety resistant to pests like yellow stem borers. The variety matures in 107 days and has a potential yield of up to 5.6 tons per hectare, equivalent to 112 50-kilo bags of palay (unmilled rice).
PhilRice data showed that Marinduque farmers harvested 16,526 metric tons of palay from 5,085 hectares last year, yielding 3.25 metric tons per hectare, or 65 50-kilograms sacks of palay.
Rhemilyn Relado-Sevilla, director of PhilRice in Los Baños, said the early seed delivery helps mitigate risks posed by extreme weather. “With the early delivery of seeds, farmers can now complete two cropping cycles before the typhoon season, reducing the risk of palay losses due to extreme weather,” she said.
The initiative, a key outcome of the MaSaGana Rice Industry Development Plan (MRIDP), promotes resilience and stability amidst climate change by introducing the double dry cropping system and adjusting planting calendars to minimize disruptions from adverse weather.