CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-10) is in talks with stakeholders to establish rice mill facilities across the region.
In a statement on Monday, DA-10 Director Carlene Collado said having such facilities will secure an increased rate of local rice production in the area.
“We are helping stakeholders to establish rice mill facilities. We also encourage the local government units to avail of such facilities through the DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)," he said.
Collado said the Regional Development Council-10's Economic Development Committee also endorsed a resolution to ask Congress for the extension of the RCEF implementation.
The RCEF is a rice production development program created under Republic Act 11203, otherwise known as the Rice Tarrification Law, which allots PHP10 billion annually to rice farmers for six years starting in 2019 to improve their competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Lana May Racines, the DA-10 planning, monitoring and evaluation division officer-in-charge, reported that the region’s rice requirement for food from August to December this year is around 227,820 metric tons (MT) while the total available rice is 267,289 MT.
“We are sufficient on rice up to December this year by 117 percent,” Collado said.
He said rice buffer stocks of DA-National Food Authority will augment those sourced from rice importations in case of any disaster.
As to Executive Order No. 39, Collado said the agency has conducted meetings and price monitoring activities with the Bantay Presyo Task Force, adding that most rice retailers have followed the price ceiling in regular and well-milled rice variants.
Seen as an alternative to rice, Collado said that for this year, the agency is set to procure hybrid white corn seeds and establish corn silos to assure quality corn produce. (PNA)
