The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved an additional budget of ₱82.5 million to enhance rice production in Iloilo, a key rice-producing province in the country.

In a statement on Sunday, Dec. 8., DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the agency continues to look for extra funds to help rice farmers produce more to increase their income and help the country bolster food security.

“The Marcos administration is fully committed to helping millions of Filipinos who depend on agriculture reap the benefits of their hard work,” he said. 

The additional funding, according to him, will enable the DA’s Region VI office to expand hybrid rice cultivation by 16,500 hectares, increasing the total area planted with rice to more than 50 percent above the previous target of 30,000 hectares for the dry season. 

Western Visayas (Region VI), which includes Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental, has 322,000 hectares of rice fields and contributes 14 percent of the country’s total rice production. However, its average yield of 3.4 metric tons per hectare in 2023 lags behind the national average of 4.2 metric tons. 

Regional Executive Director Dennis Arpia said the additional hybrid rice planting could significantly increase harvests.

“Weather permitting, the additional hectarage that will be planted with hybrid varieties should increase our rice harvest during this dry season,” he said. 

While hybrid seeds have the potential to yield up to 10 metric tons per hectare under ideal conditions, Arpia noted the region would be satisfied with five metric tons per hectare given Western Visayas’ unpredictable weather.

“If rains come during the flowering stage, they could significantly impact yields,” he warned.

Some areas in Western Visayas have already begun planting for the dry season, while others are still completing harvests delayed by the El Niño phenomenon.