The Provincial Agriculturist Office in Negros Oriental expects to boost its agricultural production this year due largely to long rainy periods and climate change, says Provincial Agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca.{{more}}
Paltinca added the effect of climate change has somehow helped the farmers to continue planting after they harvested the first quarter crop and even as summer approaches.
He said the farmers in the province are looking forward to an increase in their rice and corn harvests due to sufficient water from the rains and irrigation water from some rehabilitated irrigation canals.
Negros Oriental has an annual rice yield of 70 percent and 61 percent corn sufficiency, more than enough for rice-eating population, which accounts for 56 percent of the population; 44 percent prefer corn, Paltinca said.
However, he said some of the provinceí¢â‚¬â„¢s produce are exported to Cebu and Negros Occidental.
Harvesting for the second corn cropping season from October to February has already started, and farmers have more chances of higher yield and crop survival rate if they planted corn during the first cropping season as early as April, agriculture official said.
Paltinca said the post-harvest handling of agricultural produce will be significantly improved with the í¢â‚¬Å“Kasaligan Transport Serviceí¢â‚¬ of the Province.
This is a free transport service designed to help poor farmers who have a hard time hauling their produce so they can command better prices in the market, he said.
In last weekí¢â‚¬â„¢s State of the Province Address, Gov.Roel Degamo reported that the province is allocating at least 10 percent of the farm lands in the province to purely organic farming.
The governor directed the PAO to keep the provincial governmentí¢â‚¬â„¢s position to adopt eco-friendly technologies in agriculture while working for greater productivity. (PIA/JCT)