President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is hopeful that the Philippines will soon be at par with its neighbor countries Thailand and Vietnam in terms of rice production. (RTVM Screenshot)
Speaking before residents of South Cotabato on Wednesday, June 14, Marcos expressed optimism that with the ongoing efforts to create an organized and efficient rice production, the country will no longer have to suffer from supply crisis that forces the government to import from other rice-producing countries. The President was in South Cotabato to grace the launching of the South Cotabato Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program which aims to enhance rice production in the province. He said it will also help the country to be self-sufficient, especially in times of disasters, health crisis, or even war, which cause lack of supply and high prices of commodities locally. He stressed that the consolidated farming program will enhance production, improve grain quality, as well as become globally competitive through strategies such as good agricultural practices, low cost production, efficient farm mechanization and value adding practices, among others. "Bakit mahalaga ang consolidation? Napakasimple. Ang production cost natin sa Pilipinas, ang labor cost natin—yung labor na yung nag-aani, nagtatanim—yung labor cost na 'yan doble yan dito sa Pilipinas kung ikukumpara mo sa Thailand at Vietnam (Why is consolidation important? It's very simple. The production cost here in the Philippines, which includes the labor such as harvesting and planting, is doubled compared to Thailand and Vietnam)," Marcos said in his speech. "Kaya't sabi namin papaano nangyari 'yan, at ang madaling sagot ay mechanization. Ibig sabihin imbes na kinakamay na, ginagamitan nung malalaki, mga tractor, harvester (We are saying how did that happen, the easy answer is mechanization. That means instead of doing it manually, big tractors, harvesters are being used)," Marcos added. But those big equipment, the chief executive said, are more effective if used in big farmlands, thus the effort to consolidate farming lands. "Tama 'yan, bagay 'yan sa malalaking makina. Sa paggamit ng malalaking makinarya ay bababa ang production cost, bababa ang labor cost, tataas ang ani, tataas ang yield ninyo per hectare (That's right, big machineries must be used in big lands. By using big machineries, production cost, labor cost goes down while the produce, yield per hectare goes up),"Marcos pointed out. Farmers, he further said, will also gain better sales through lower cost and efficient production as a result of consolidated farming. He said it will "guarantee the income of farmers." According to South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., they are expecting to produce an average of eight tons per hectare through the Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program, which aims to consolidate 1,000 hectares of farmlands in the province. "So tataas ang ani, eight tons per hectare isipin mo 160 bags per hectare na 'yan, maganda na yung production side (So the yield will increase, eight tons per hectare or 160 bags per hectare, the production will improve)," Marcos said. The President also said that the government will expand the program to cover more farmlands in the country. [RELATED: Marcos encounters aircraft problem, arrives safely in South Cotabato](https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/14/marcos-encounters-aircraft-problems-going-to-south-cotabato)