TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Dec. 17 (PNA) -– Rice paddies here will soon be teeming with climate change-ready rice varieties that can survive prolonged flooding.
Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said he directed Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Anastacia Notarte to develop and look for flood-tolerant rice varieties to be planted in farms that experience periodic inundation.
“I have instructed Dr. Notarte to find a rice variety that could withstand one week or so of flooding,” he revealed, to the delight of farmers attending the recent first Provincial Rice Congress at the Bulwagan ng Lalawigan.
The governor said the provincial government is bent on equipping the agriculture sector with knowledge on how they could combat the worsening weather condition brought about by climate change.
Some 10,000 hectares of farm lands in the province have experienced occasional flooding this year, with the rice sector taking the brunt of the disasters.
Last year, typhoon Pablo destroyed over P3.8 billion worth of crops and infrastructure.
Del Rosario said that planting flood-tolerant varieties will ensure a steady supply of the staple and help the province attain food sufficiency, even during the onslaught of typhoons.
According to him, this is part of his administration’s thrust of making all social groups in the province resilient to any form of calamity.
The local chief executive further pointed out that the Provincial Rice Congress is an expression of the all-out commitment of the provincial government to ensure further growth of the agriculture-based local economy, particularly the rice sector.
“You are important and as your governor, I salute you for being good farmers,” he told the rice farmers.He thanked them for helping attain Davao del Norte’s distinction of yielding over 50 percent rice production in the Davao region. (PNA)