RICE CROP MANAGER (RCM), AN AID FOR THE RICE FARMERS' BURDEN ON SKYROCKETING COST OF FERTILIZER

Thu, 03/24/2022 - 15:59
woman talking infront of people

Norma Y. Tanguanco, one of the participants, delivers her impression after attending the one-day RCM Briefing Orientation in Malinao, Aklan.

MALINAO, Aklan - "This RCM Briefing gave us a lot of ideas on how to improve our rice farming production, despite that we are members of the Farmers' Association, our technologies were obsolete. But through the dissemination of this briefing, we were renewed of the new technology, new ways of agriculture and farming." expressed Norma Y. Tanguanco, one of the rice farmers from Brgy. Malandayon, Malinao, Aklan, who participated during the RCM Briefing and Orientation on March 22, 2022.

The skyrocketing cost of fertilizer and increasing concerns on its availability, high cost of other inputs, low price of palay, lack of capital, labor problem, lack of postharvest facilities, pest and diseases, and irrigation system is a common problem encountered by our rice farmers in the country today. The high cost of inputs can entail high capital for farmers to make them decide to reduce their fertilizer usage that is not following the prescribed amount to increase their yield resulting in low production.

With the efficient use of fertilizer, pesticides, and proper management of rice fields, these problems may address. Through the result of research and studies, the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) has developed. It is a collaborative project developed by DA and IRRI that was previously transferred and managed by DA-PhilRice. It is a web-based comprehensive decision-making tool to support increasing the yield and income of rice farmers to sustain the rice sufficiency of the country.

This activity aims to equip the rice farmers with the knowledge and skills on the efficient use of RCM and enable them to register in Farmer and Farm lot Registration to generate and acquire RCM recommendations for their next cropping. Each RCM recommendation is customized to match the field size and needs of rice-growing conditions of an individual farmer. This information on managing their rice crop is disseminated every cropping season wherein the right timing, right source, and the right amount of fertilizer are suited to the needs of their field.

The same activity is being conducted today, March 24, 2022, in Hamtic, Antique.

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