3,746 Cotabato farmers avail of Rice Revolution Program
KIDAPAWAN CITY – A total of 3,746 farmers in Cotabato province have availed of the Rice Revolution Program that seeks to boost rice production.
A FARMER prepares rice seedlings in Barangay Cuyapon, Kabacan, Cotabato. (Keith Bacongco)
Third District Board Member Jonathan Tabara said that 3,746 farmers have so far availed the program that will cover a hectare for every farmer and initial target of 7,000 farmers.
Tabara said the first district of Cotabato has the most number of beneficiaries with 1,544, followed by 1,245 in the third district, and 1,057 in the second district.
He said that more farmers are set to avail of the program.
This intervention launched last February was formulated to help farmers address the rising cost of rice production as well as to temper the fluctuating buying price of palay (unhusked rice).
“Umaasa po tayo sa pamamagitan ng programang ito tataas ang production ng ating mga magsasaka na kung sakaling bumaba ang presyo may laban pa rin ang ating mga magsasaka,” Tabara said.
(Through this program, we expect rice production to increase and prices to go down)
Since the province is one of the known rice producers, he said that the provincial government is hoping that the program could also help in augmenting rice supply in neighboring provinces.
Data from the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) showed that in 2024, the average rice production in the province was 3.8 tons per hectare. The national average was 4.11 tons per hectare, PhilRice said.
With a coverage area of over 126,000 hectares, Cotabato is the top rice-producing province in Region 12 followed by South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani.
PhilRice data also showed that the towns of Alamada, Banisilan, Kabacan, Midsayap, M’lang, and Tulunan have an average yield of four to five metric tons for every hectare yearly. All the other 10 towns are averaging three to four metric tons for every hectare.
With a budget of P28 million, Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza said that the program aims to maximize the yield per hectare of farmers in selected pilot areas in 16 towns.
The provincial government said only favorable production rice areas (not affected or vulnerable to flash flood or flooding) are the priority target areas of the program.
Under the program, farmers will receive six sacks of fertilizer for every hectare of rice farm, the provincial government said – two each from the provincial government, the municipal government, and the Department of Agriculture.
The program will cover an initial 2,000 to 3,000 hectares of rice farms. This initiative is based on the 3Cs concept: Convergence, collaboration, and cooperation.
Through the program, Mendoza said the provincial government aims to increase the farmer’s production to at least four tons per hectare. “Even if the buying price is low, it would be tempered because the farmers have maximized their rice production. With this, the farmers can compete in the local market.”