DA remains focused on 2013 rice self-sufficiency bid
Friday, 27 January 2012 00:00
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is maintaining its 2013 rice self-sufficiency bid despite palay damage from the onslaught of inclement weather last year. "We're not reneging on such bid," DA Secretary Proceso Alcala said during a briefing. He reiterated that the country is on the right track in its bid for rice self-sufficiency, noting DA continues implementing interventions aimed at further boosting nationwide production of palay. Among such interventions are increased irrigation and use of improved palay varieties. DA's quick turnaround strategy also helped cushion the impact of inclement weather's damage to palay production in 2011.
Nationwide volume of production for palay reached 16.68 million metric tons (MTs) last year, exceeding by 5.78 percent the country's 2010 output of 15.77 million MTs for this staple grain, data DA released on Tuesday show. Gains in palay production helped Philippine agriculture grow 2.34 percent in 2011, the data also indicate. Alcala said DA's earlier studies forecast 2012 palay output to reach some 18.46 million MTs. DA forecasts palay output to further rise to about 20 million MTs by 2013. PNA
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