The province of Palawan is expected to attain rice sufficiency in the next 11 months despite the threat of El Niño, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) said.
Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Romeo Cabungcal said that the combined inventory from traders’ stock and farmers’ production of 160,880,154 kilos of rice will be enough to meet Palawan’s monthly consumption of 13,739,229 kilos.
“This is based on the record na sina-submit ng ating municipal agriculturists at nakalap na inventory; it can reach about 11.71 months. Based on the record, ay hindi tayo magkakaroon ng shortage,” he said.
As of January, Palawan has a standing crop of 30,182 hectares (ha) which could produce 126,764 metric tons of unhusked rice, or palay. The harvest on September 15, 2023, covered 48, 181 ha with a production of 190, 546.10 metric tons.
In the farming calendar, March 16 to September 15 is the wet season, while September 16 to March 15 is the dry season.
OPA’s inventory to local traders in the first week of January showed 54,500 bags of palay, equivalent to 2,725, 000 kilos. With 60 percent milling recovery, it will produce 635,000 kilos of rice. The inventory has not yet included the volume of imported bags of rice by traders.
“Noong pumunta ako sa mga trader, sobra-sobra yong mga palay nandon. To think also, kasi meron din trader na nag-i-import–because of trade liberalization sa rice tarrification law,
Even though supplies can be sufficient, OPA still needs to assess the drought-affected areas in Palawan and implement mitigating measures through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
OPA is collaborating with its municipal counterparts to have an intensive information campaign on the impacts of climate change and ways to conserve water in agriculture. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA – Palawan)
