KIDAPAWAN CITY – The provincial government of Cotabato is gearing up to boost rice production through a newly crafted initiative known as Rice Revolution Program (RRP).

FARMERS carry newly harvested palay in Barangay Ugalingan, Carmen, Cotabato. (Keith Bacongco)

This intervention was formulated to help farmers address the rising cost of rice production as well as to temper the fluctuating buying price of palay.

Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza said the program aims to maximize the yield per hectare of farmers in selected pilot areas in 16 towns of the province.

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 at 4.11 tons per hectare, according to PhilRice.

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.

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.”

To help farmers boost their production, they 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 pilot program will cover an initial 2,000 to 3,000 hectares of rice farms in the province. This initiative is based on the 3Cs concept: Convergence, collaboration, and cooperation.

The RRP will be implemented through conventional and diversified approaches.

Under the conventional scheme, six bags of fertilizers shall be provided by the provincial government, LGU, and DA. Under the diversified approach, the provincial government and DA will only provide four bags of fertilizer if the LGU does not have the resources to provide their counterpart.

However, the farmer-beneficiary will shoulder the additional two bags of fertilizer. “We cannot force the mayor if they don’t have a budget,” the governor said.

Mendoza said local irrigators associations and local government units will select the pilot farms regardless of organic or non-organic rice production.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) is conducting orientation programs in target areas along with the Department of Agriculture Regional Office-12, PhilRice, National Irrigation Administration, National Food Authority, and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.

Mendoza has urged the Municipal Agriculturist’s Office in the LGUs to ensure that the allotted fertilizers are properly used.

She added that the OPAg will also monitor farmers to make sure that they follow proper procedures from planting rice to fertilizer application to achieve the province’s goal of increasing rice production.