Tons on brink of damage

36% Bohol ricefields

badly need irrigation

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol March 22, (PIA) –Until the end of February, about 36% of the rice lands planted late during the quick turn-around, are still in the vegetative and early productive stage, and would need the rains or these would be damaged with grains becoming chaff.

National Irrigation Administration 7 Action Operations section chief Engr. Maria Donesa Autida reported that in this quick turn-around cropping, 64% or some 11,239 hectares of rice lands were on the last 7 days prior to harvest and the paddies would have to be drained so it dies up for easier harvesting.

These, she shared at the recent Provincial Task Force El Nino meeting at the Ceremonial Hall of the Capitol held last week.

Of the rice areas served by the national irrigation system, specifically of the four major dams here, about 536.18 hectares of recently planted rice are still in their vegetative stage, that is less than 55 days since these were transplanted.

On the other hand, farmers who risked planting despite late in the turn-around season are now on the critical reproductive stage, according to the NIA report during the meeting.

Those still in the reproductive stage cover as much as 3,817.48 hectares, and these could still be affected without rains within the month of March, NIA authorities said.

For those under the Communal Irrigation Systems, Engr Autida bared another estimated 50 hectares that could be potentially damaged since these are in the vegetative stages.

For those under the CIS who were able to make use of the first water release, a total of 1,967 hectares are now in the reproductive stages.

This is the critical time when rice grains start to develop from milky, to dough, to yellow ripe and off to the maturity stage for harvesting, explains Department of Agriculture Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System coordinator Engr. Cecile Opada.

Usually, rice matures after 120 days, the first 60 days would be the vegetative stage, the next 30 days would be the reproductive stage.

The last 30 days would comprise the ripening stage which would lead to harvesting.

Within the ripening and reproductive stage, water becomes critical as continuous flooding of water provides the best growth environment for rice.

With the report, the Department of Agriculture said they have allocated P5 million from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management for possible cloud seeding operations.

Cloud seeding is an artificial way of bringing down rains by seeding rain clouds with salt so the clouds get heavy enough to fall as rains.

It may be recalled that in 2023, the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) through administrative officer Ryan Palma shared that the PDRRM has allocated P2.5 million as support fund for El Nino mitigation through cloud seeding operations.

Meanwhile, Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado then, through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, has asked the DA BSWM for additional fund allocation for cloud seeding operations.

The Provincial Government disaster funds however could not be released pending the Sangguniang Panlalawigan declaration of a state of calamity.

A successful cloud seeding this month may still save what would be tons upon tons of rice production which Bohol could need to fill up a huge supply gap in 2024. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)

PLAY CATCH UP. While majority of the farms programmed for rice in the quick-turn-around cropping are now in the maturing stage and for harvest within the next weeks, some farmers in un-programmed areas risked planting when they noticed few rains, leaving them in the midst of a problem. Their rice at the vegetative and reproductive stages still needs some 30 days of water to ripen so these can be harvested. They has asked NIA to help them lobby for cloud seeding to salvage their crops and possibly replenish the dams for the next cropping season.

SAVING WHAT CAN BE SAVED. NIA Operations head Engr Ma. Donesa Autida clarifies that it is the farmers and the irrigators associations that requested for cloud seeding, most of them from those who risked planting in late December, seeing some few rains then. With their rice now at their vegetative stages, water is critical so that the growth would be maximized and the cropping san be salvaged instead of lost due to the drought. (PIABohol)