To accomplish a mission, one must find allies to support its views and causes.  

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has found a strong ally in vigorously pushing farm clustering and consolidation through a Public-Private Partnership. 

DA-Caraga in collaboration with the Rice Productivity Advocacy Inc. or the Rice Board and the Local Government Unit of Butuan City successfully capped the 11th National Rice Technology Forum (NRTF) held at Barangay Lemon, Butuan City, on October 14-16, 2020. 

NRTF is a semi-annual event that aims to promote the use of modern rice farming technology such as the hybrid rice in increasing rice productivity and income of rice farmers. 

 “The six months preparation of the activity encountered limitations but we admired the collective effort by the DA Regional Office and attached agencies, LGU-Butuan, private seed companies, and local farmers who made it possible,” said Ebenezer Basco, Rice Board Secretary. 

Basco added that the partnership continues to support a food secure Philippines by demonstrating new technology in rice farming and aim to reach more farmers across the country. 

Hybridize and Mechanize
The 11th NRTF 100-hectare demo area showcased the best farming practices that Caraga farmers can feasibly adopt to increase their efficiency and productivity. 

Studies show that the use of hybrid seeds can increase farmers’ yield by at least 15% than the use of inbred varieties. Its increased vigor makes it more competitive and increases its resistance to diseases and insects. 

DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo highlighted the importance of farm mechanization that should complement the high-yielding rice varieties to optimize productivity.

“The combination of rice hybridization and mechanization is one of the formulas to improve the production and enhance the productivity of farm labor,” Monteagudo said. 

Rey Miot, a farmer-cooperator, and member of the Basag-Lemon Irrigators Association has comparative experience with manual and mechanical transplanting. 

According to him, walk-behind transplanters save cost and time. Using mechanical transplanter will only take 2-3 hours in one day per hectare with four farm laborers. This would cost around ₱2,500 – ₱3,000, while manual transplanting would cost ₱6,000 per hectare with 10 farm laborers. 

“The free farm inputs and the help of farm machines have cut down my production cost from ₱12 to ₱8 per kilogram. I am hoping that for the next cropping season this outcome will continue,” Miot said.

Efficient clustering approach 

This year, NRTF does not only promotes the Hybrid Rice Technology but also demonstrates how farm clustering works towards more efficient and productive rice farming. 

The 100-hectare compact demo area in Barangay Ampayon, Basag, and Lemon is managed by 61 Farmer-Cooperators in Butuan City. 

Participating farmers benefitted from production inputs, farm machines, market information and linkage, and technical support from the implementing agencies. 

Ruel Arman, a member of Barangay Lemon Integrated Farmers Association recalled his hardship when he is not yet affiliated with the group. 

“Organized group versus individual farming has a big difference. I am one of those who benefitted from the minimal cost of the pre and post-harvest facilities owned by our association,” Arman said.

Before, his awareness of rice production was limited but now he was given the chance to access information and technical services. He was once tied to private financiers but now he was able to access credit and financial assistance from the DA-ACPC that offers zero interest rates and flexible payment terms. 

“Heeding to the call of Agriculture Secretary William Dar we are now into clustering and consolidating farms to bring down the cost of operations and improve the harvests of the rice farmers in the region,” said Director Monteagudo. 

Cluster farming is a strategy where farmers’ cooperatives and associations are merged to optimize the interventions and assistance provided by the DA and other government agencies.

The majority of rice farmers in Caraga are smallholders such that farmers’ associations need to collaborate and consolidate. To participate in the competitive market, small farmers need to remain unified. One such consolidation effort that may prove to be useful in cluster farming, Monteagudo said.  

The farmer-cooperators of the three barangays in Butuan City will now be considered a hybrid rice cluster in the region.

Further, extension services and activities for the clustered area will continue. DA-Caraga targets 12,000 hectares for hybrid rice production for the September-March 2020 – 2021 cropping season. The 100-hectare demo on hybrid only kick starts the identification of additional hybrid cluster areas in the region for wide-scale adoption of the technology.