Around 8.25 tons of palay per hectare were harvested during the drone seeding demonstration of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in 10 hectares of rice fields in Rizal town, Palawan.
The demonstration was conducted by the agriculture department during the harvest festival as part of its Mimaropa Rice Program, in partnership with the Rizal Municipal Agriculture Office.
It was attended by 250 farmers from different clustered farms in the town. They were encouraged by the department to utilize the technology to expedite the process and save money on their expenses.
“Sa tulong ng agricultural drone, mas napadali ang pagtatanim ng binhi ng palay at makatipid sa farm inputs ang mga magsasaka,” the department said.
Through the use of a drone, 15 kilograms of hybrid unhusked rice, or palay, will be sufficient for one hectare. Approximately 30 to 40 kilograms of palay can be spread over a hectare within 10 to 15 minutes, while 15 liters of fertilizer and pesticide can be spread in a period of six minutes.
Around 210 hybrid cluster areas have benefited from drone seeding through New Hope Corporation, as added by the DA.
The 10-hectare land in Barangay Candawaga, Rizal, used in the demonstration was financed by the DA Mimaropa Drone Team.
The remaining 200 hectares of rice fields were financed by farmers through the service provider, at a rate of 2,500 pesos per hectare. (RG/PIA Mimaropa-Palawan)
