By Nora Lanuza Molde.

“I thanked the government for its full support of the hybrid rice, resulting in better production and income to farmers like me.’’

Renie Palco, a hybrid rice farmer, said as he narrated  the improvement of his life these recent years when he ventured to farming hybrid rice to the team from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga.

Palco, 55 years old and the public information officer of the Balangbalang Farmers Association in RTR, Agusan del Norte has been tilling his four-hectare land with hybrid rice.

“With hybrid rice, I harvest more than 100 sacks per cropping compared to at most  70 sacks of planting n-breed rice,” he said, while also sharing the different technical training and assistance from the government on the proper planting technique of hybrid rice that enhanced his farming efficiency.

With the remarkable yield from his hybrid rice farm, Palco was able to establish a welding shop specializing in farming equipment. This venture not only diversified his earnings as it also provided much-needed services to fellow farmers in his community. The financial stability brought by his increased rice production also allowed him to send his children to school, securing a better future for his family.

He attributed his success to the unwavering support of the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the free provisions of hybrid rice seedlings and fertilizers, including the technical assistance and cash assistance which significantly boosted his farm’s productivity and income.

DA Caraga Regional Executive Director Arlan M. Mangelen said that every year, the agency has a budget allocation intended for the provision of interventions to eligible farmers and farmers’ groups to help increase their production that contributed to the development of the agriculture industry not just in the region, but in the country. For this year, Dir. Mangelen said that DA Caraga has an approved budget allocation of P2.5 billion that will allow the agency to strategize  and effectively implement programs to steer agriculture in the region towards development and nation-building.

Also, Jodel A. Tabada, officer-in-charge of the DA Caraga’s Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division,  shared that the region’s rice sector has shown a remarkable improvement. The total rice production increased from 543,431 metric tons in 2023 to 574,093 metric tons in 2024, bringing the rice sufficiency level in the region to an impressive 99.14 percent.

The figures are testament of the government’s ongoing commitment to supporting farmers and strengthening food security. With continued assistance, more farmers like Palco can turn their agricultural success into entrepreneurial ventures, ultimately contributing to the overall economic growth in the Caraga region. (NCLM, PIA-Agusan del Norte)

Published Date: February 11, 2025