CONTRARY to the belief that Bohol is rice sufficient, the province still needs P13.786M to attain full rice sufficiency in two years, a technical working group (TWG) tasked to make develop Bohol agriculture said.
For this, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera Tuesday passed the appropriations to satisfy a request from Governor Erico Aumentado for Bohol to put up key mobilization fund for Bohol’s Rice Accelerated Enhancement Response (RacER).
RacER is recommended by the TWG.
The TWG, composed of former Department of Agriculture regional technical director Dr. Jose Quitazol, Provincial Agriculturist Liza Quirog, Agricultural Promotions Center Manager Eugene Cahiles, National Food Authority’s Nestor Rey Alcoseba, Bohol Poverty Reduction and Management Officer Antonieto Pernia, Provincial Environment Officer Eduardo Inting, Irrigation Officer Modesto Membreve and still some unnamed technical men recommended the amount to be taken from the Provincial Government cash boxes to improve agriculture here.
Of the amount however, only the P1400 revolving fund subsidy for each bag of hybrid of rice seeds that go to irrigators associations and technical trainings, seminars would go directly to the farmers. The rest covers incentives to technologists, rice technicians, municipal agriculture officers and coordinators.
Many critics and farmers openly said “this is disheartening.”
“While the technicians get salaries from the government, it is us who are asked to produce so the best farmers should be the one’s getting the incentives, not them,” a farmer who asked not to be named, complained.
The complaint also goes in line with Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) stand on subsidies which it said is perhaps politically opportune, [are] but hardly the answer to the current rice woes.
On subsidies, HSBA said “it would have perverse impacts, by prolonging the adjustment process that is required.” The bank recommended instead, for farmers to be given more incentives for improved production.
RACER
RAcER, as adopted by Bohol, sets to motion multi-component approaches to food sufficiency, reports said.
Racer attempts to address the remaining 17% gap in the province’s rice sufficiency, which now only amounts to a little over 82%, data from form the Office of the Provincial Agriculture stated.
Meanwhile, in the country, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has committed P43.7 billion to the agricultural sector to ensure an “abundant, affordable and accessible” food supply.
The amount will be used to fund the administration’s “FIELDS” program.
FIELDS stands for fertilizers, infrastructure and irrigation, extension and education, loans, drying and other post-harvest facilities, and seeds.
Moreover, she instructed government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) to allocate five percent of their 2007 budget surplus for projects in rice production, low-cost consumer and medicine outlets, Philhealth and micro-finance.
The president issued this via Administrative Order No. 1, dated April 1 and mandating all projects to be started not later than July.
In addition, the DA shall “draw up a plan to utilize idle lands for rice and other food production, consulting with Senator Edgardo Angara who has advocated additional cultivation of one million hectares.”
Rice shipment regulation
Days ago, the governor issued an executive order regulating rice shipment out of Bohol in efforts to curb indiscriminate selling of milled rice and palay outside Bohol.
The order was effected to avoid draining local rice stocks especially with the onset of the lean seasons in July to October, aside from discouraging hoarding, thus depleting local supplies.
The governor however said it is palliative solution to the problem.
Seed subsidy
Aside from putting the recent rice shipment regulation as key Racer component, the government taps irrigators’ associations whose farmers agree to be trained on hybrid rice cultivation for the Bohol Seed Assistance Program (BSAP).
BSAP uses hybrid rice adopters, whom the DA subsidizes P1500 of the P2900 bag of seeds they grow, while the farmers shell dip from their pockets the remaining amount.
But now, instead of the farmers paying the remaining amount, the Provincial government subsidizes the P1400.
Farmers in the program pay to their associations only after harvest, all to ease their burdens from the low yielding rice seeds.
Levying heavier taxes on arable idle lands
As Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera suggested, the province is now into expanding agricultural production areas by raising higher taxes to idle but arable lands.
Herrera, who sits as SP Agriculture Chair also added that Boholanos could go producing other alternative food crops, common rice substitutes.
Citing the Local Government Code, the governor said idle lands can be subjected to 5% more realty taxes, while adding that the government can also forfeit uncultivated lands in favor of a private entity who would be willing to invest in it.
Expanding rice and corn fields
He said he already met with mayors on the expansion of rice and corn fields’ hectarage, one he foresees to add another thousand hectares by the year-end.
Te governor also said he has instructed NIA Engr. Modesto Membreve to fast-track the land leveling program at the BHIP 2 service area while water in the Bayongan Dam is still available.
He has also told agriculture technicians to determine areas only with slopes of between 12-18 degrees for biofuel production, those with 18 degrees for endemic trees to maintain biodiversity. (rachiu/PIA)
