Outlining the key strategies and priority programs and projects that the Rice Program shall be implementing in CY 2025, planners as well as project in-charge and focal persons under the Rice Banner Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) nationwide convened at the Pangil Beach Resort in Currimao, Ilocos Norte for a three-day planning workshop and coordination meeting for rice clustering and consolidation under the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program.

Commenced yesterday and was graced by DA Undersecretary for Rice, Engr. Christopher Morales, the coordination meeting opened an avenue to discuss various updates and program guidelines and protocols as well as policy directions towards the attainment of the goals and objectives of the National Rice Program and the national rice industry as a whole.

In his message, Usec Morales underscored the relevance of convergence, clustering and consolidation as the basic foundation of all program implementation in the DA together with its attached agencies especially the National Food Authority (NFA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) which is now under the Office of the President.

Calling for the intensification of benchmarking of the cluster areas nationwide, Usec Morales likewise emphasized the need for a better investment programming not only for production inputs but also on agri-infrastructures as well as post harvest facilities.

Veering-away on the business-as-usual planning which the program implementers have been used to, Usec Morales also noted the need for providing an actual evidence of the investments provided by the DA to the cluster areas that determines their investment capacities, thus helping them to determine priority interventions.

Reiterating the goal of increasing yield from the current 4.7 tons per hectare national average yield to 5-6 tons per hectare and the 19.5-20 M mt of production output for the year, Usec Morales called for a harmonized action by the DA, PhilRice, NIA and NFA.

Giving emphasis on the adoption of hybrid rice technology, increasing crop intensity and the promotion of direct seeding and mechanical transplanters as amongst the strategies to realize the 19.5 – 20 M mt of production, Usec Morales likewise called for a synergy to all departments and bureaus which are directly involved in the rice industry value-chain.

“While we focus on production, we shall also put our efforts on logistics as well as marketing where we will provide drying and storage facilities and trucks and likewise ensure that the buying price are encouraging to the farmers,” Usec Morales emphasized.##