THE PROVINCE of Iloilo failed to hit its rice production target of one million metric tons (MT) in 2017, with harvest reaching only 906,000 MT. “We still have to add the January and February planting but it will not reach one million metric tons,” Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) head Ildefonso T. Toledo. However, Mr. Toledo said the province recorded improvements in production following the use of hybrid seeds. In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, PAO introduced the high yielding technology adoption (HYTA) program with the use of hybrid seeds, which are capable of producing 10 to 15 MT while an inbred seed has an average yield of seven to eight MT. “In the past years, our average yield is only 3.5 to 3.7 metric tons (per hectare) because of climate change. But with the introduction of HYTA, we have increased our production,” he said. The provincial agriculturist said their target for 2018 remains at one million MT. Iloilo province has around 100,000 farmers and a rice area of 134,000 hectares, of which 75,000 are rainfed and 55,000 are irrigated. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

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