Local News: Negros Ocidental. Governor Determined to Ensure Self-Sustenance of Province in Rice

The province of Negros Occidental, still a rice-buying province from other areas in the country, could be self-sustaining in rice production as a result of the focus and emphasis of provincial government officials on food production, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), chief Igmedio Tabianan, said. This is amply demonstrated by already two signal awards won by the province namely in Taiwan recently and in the forthcoming Agri-Pinoy Achievers Award, won by the province as one of the top ten rice producers in the country, inspite of its concentration on sugar which is its main crop, Tabianan said.

In terms of rice production, the traditional rice producer, Iloilo Province, was number one, Negros Occidental number two, as indicated in the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) accolades. Negros Occidental was number 2 in terms of increments in the production of rice and investment in the production of the cereal, the province was adjudged as number one by the DA, an overjoyed Tabianan said. Iloilo Province was only ranked number five. There is no way we will brag about this, however, said the OPA official.

Tabianan credits the province’s chief executive for the signal honor of producing more cereals for the province and who has been determined in his efforts to ensure that the province will become self-sustaining in rice needs.

The Governor is bent on ensuring that the province will be able to produce enough rice for its people, said Tabianan. Tabianan, who the increase in the production of the foodcrops could also be attributed to the full support of Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez and the provincial board.

He added that the success of rice production program was carried out because the program has also been properly implemented and that aside from the fact that the province has fertile lands, the farmers here are industrious, persevering and hard-working.

The OPA is also focused on those who produce food, the fishermen and farmers.

“Once we become self-sufficient in rice, we won’t have to purchase this from outside the province, in the process beefing up the local economy,” Tabianan enthused.

A companion program will be the establishment of a Rice Production Center (RPC), specifically the milling of unprocessed rice or palay. This is to increase the recovery of milled rice from the present 55 to 60 percent to 65-up to 70 percent which is Governor Marañon’s program, said Tabianan. Another is the development of the irrigation system exemplified by the one in Barangay Cantupa, Himamaylan City. It is not yet concrete, but with the building of a farm-to-market road in areas which could once be reached only on foot in one day, could be traversed in 10 minutes, said the OPA chief, once concreted.

Tabianan said among the reasons for the energetic response of everybody to the reality of producing enough rice is the fact that Marañon has shown his resourcefulness in coming up with wherewithals especially funds for the purpose.

Tabianan said, Marañon was able to effect the transfer of DA funds amounting to P90 million for the province and allocating counterpart funding of about P76-M or P165-M in all. At the moment, therefore, 4,000 hectares of irrigated ricelands have been affected and with the additional funds, more farms could produce more rice.

Opportunities for producing rice have come in the form of Japanese businessmen proposing to develop 15,000 hectares of land in the province for food production.

The Negros Crop Insurance System (NCIS), will also ensure for farmers here, payment for damages during calamities, including for health and the allocation of the provincial government of counterpart funds. The insurance farmers will avail of will be comprehensive in nature, said Tabianan.*