ILOILO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is targeting to make farmers in Western Visayas region produce 1.2 million metric tons for this year’s wet season.
Elmer Cabusas, DA-6 rice program coordinator, said that it is eyeing a 39-percent increase in rice production for this year’s wet season. During last year’s wet season, the combined rice production was at 865,923 metric tons.
Cabusas is hopeful of the 1.2-million metric ton target for rice farmers in Western Visayas as DA-6 has stepped up its technical programs and the expansion of rice planting areas to 299,621 hectares.
“There was an average yield of 3.7 metric tons per hectare from January to September,” said Cabusas.

If there’s favorable climate and farmers implement the interventions of DA-6, Cabusas said Western Visays can even reach four metric tons per hectare average rice production yield by the end of 2021.
Of all areas, Iloilo province is projected to have the most yield for this year’s wet season with 497,185 metric tons.
There’s also a target of 292,661 metric tons for Negros Occidental province; 165,297 metric tons for Capiz province; 161,259 metric tons for Antique province; 62,828 metric tons for Antique province; and 21,980 metric tons for Guimaras province.