NegOr LGU rice coordinators, technicians’ consultation tackles farm clustering

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Created on Tuesday, 30 March 2021

Farm clustering approach of rice areas as espoused by Agriculture Secretary William Dar in his new thinking paradigm of the agriculture sector has been the focus of discussion in the recently concluded quarterly consultation of the rice coordinators and technicians from the various Local Government Units of Negros Oriental province.

During the said event held in Dumaguete City, DA7 Regional Rice Program Coordinator Cecile Opada, through a virtual message, shared the new directives of the program such as the guidelines in the farm clustering approach of rice areas in a locality, as well as the submission of signed masterlist within a stipulated given period.

The consultation which was spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture-Central Visayas (DA7) Rice Program, provided the rice extension workers with the new directives of the agency's rice banner program for the year 2021. It also updated them with the checklist on the granting of AEW’s incentives, irrigation network services, Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) enumerators, Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), and planting and harvesting reports.

In the farm clustering approach, Jonathan Limocon, DA-7 rice staff explained that F2C2 shall give priority focus to community production and processing projects to promote better coordinated and organized production and value chain system.

He cited interventions like rice seeds and fertilizers and hopefully machineries be given to the cluster communities or adjacent communities on basis of proximity for a more unified production activities. As stipulated in the DA criteria, a rice cluster must be at 100 hectares, contiguous or in a close proximity within a village.

However, the DA7 had requested for consideration of the 50 hectares rice clustering areas in CV due to its average small sizes of rice paddies.

For those outside the clustered areas but still have rice production, Limocon said that they can still avail of interventions like seeds and machineries from the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

In the said event, DA7's Agricultural Provincial Coordinating Officer (APCO) of Negros Oriental Sarah Perocho, also took the opportunity to encourage the technicians to go out from the confines of their offices, go to the field and teach, hear and record the concerns, needs and even the success stories of the farmers.

“Let the good news and success of the agriculture sector be shared and spread for everyone to know,” PhilRice Negros Branch Director Mr. Gerardo Estoy said.


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