Our goals and plans for this year's Masagana 99

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Part of The Republic

Title: Our goals and plans for this year's Masagana 99
Language: English
Year: 1976
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Fulltext: THE REPUBLIC The Economy [ 1-15 July 1976 7 Our goals and plans for this year's Masagana 99 'OUR TARGET IS 94.85 MILLION CAVANS.' LAST year’s Masagana 99 Program brought us again to another state of self-sufficiency in the staple. Out of a total aggregate area of 1.8 million hectares planted, a total production of 96.9 million cavans (a cavan equals 50 kilos) of palay was realized. The 200,000-ton excess over last year’s production plus a carry over stock of one million tons from last, year’s supply gives the country a stock inventory surplus of 1.2 million tons or 24 million cavans by the end of June 1976. This is enough to meet the country’s requirements for 114 days or nearly four months. However, the success we have achieved should not be a cause for us to relax on our effort to increase production as the challenge is great due to pressure brought about by increase in population, reduction in area devoted to rice production and the demand for the commodity in the world market Last May, we started Phase VII of the Masagana 99 Program. The program itself constitutes a big challenge to program implementors but with a unified effort between the private sector and the government, as we have operated since the previous years, it is hoped that we will end up with success. As for our target goal, we have set a total of 1,173,180 hectares broken down into 857,853 hectares irrigated and 313,335 hectares rainfed. Comparatively, this is more or less the same as our target during the same crop season last year (Phase V). At the projected average production per hectare of 85 and 70 cavans on irrigated and rainfed areas, respectively, our estimate on total production will be 94.85 million cavans. STRATEGY OF IMPLEMENTATION Package of Technology. Masagana 99 makes use of a package of technology which has been proven productive and effective in the country. The package includes the use of high yielding varieties; timely application of the proper amount of fertilizers; judicious use of pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides; and proper water management practices. Supplementary programs like “Double Cropping” and “Direct Seeding,” which are innovative strategies to further increase rice production, are likewise implemented. - Supervised Credit Noncollateral production loans under a supervised credit scheme are extended to needy farmers who have to organize themselves into a mutual liability group known as selda. Farmers who can put up the necessary collateral need not become members of a selda to qualify for a Masagana 99 loan. However, proper technical supervision should be provided them by production. technicians (PTs). Loan per hectare. The guiding lending rate consists of the cash and input portions amounting to P 1,200 per hecTechnology package for greater production. tare. The PT shall use his wise judgment in determining the actual credit requirement of the farmer, but in no case shall it exceed P1,200 per hectare. The cash portion covers the cost of land preparation, pulling and transplanting of seedlings and baits, and baiting station materials. The input portion covers the cost of fertilizers, chemicals and rodenticides. The amount provided for seeds may be included in the cash portion when certified seeds are not available, and in the input portion when available. In case of the latter, a seed chit is issued to th£ farmer. BORROWING PROCEDURES Organization of the Selda. Before farmers can be extended loan under the Masagana 99 program, they have to organize themselves into a selda. A selda consists of five to seven members with one of them to be elected as selda leader. Organization of a selda is based on one or a combination of the following criteria: 1. Affinity of farmers -farmers must know each other intimately either as friends, neighbors in the barrio, or better yet, be closely related to each other. 2. Contiguity of farms - farms must be adjacent or near each other in the same barrio. 3. Size of farm — the landholding of farmers constituting the selda shall more or less have the same size. 4. Yield - productivity performance of the farms of farmers belonging to a selda should be more or less the same. 5. Cropping seasons - selda members must at least have the same number of cropping seasons based on available irrigation facilities or cropping patterns in case the second crop is not rice; and 6. Willingness to undertake the joint liability concept - prospective borrowers must be aware of their duties and responsibilities as members of the selda, particularly their joint obligation to pay the unpaid loan of the members of their selda. MANAGEMENT National LeveL On the national level, Masagana 99 is run through the National Management Committee (NMC) composed of representatives from government and private entities involved in program implementation. The Committee designs operational strategies to be adopted and formulates guidelines in solving major problems in the process of program implementation. The members of the NMC are: Chairman: National Food & Agriculture Council (NFAC) Members: Representative from: 1. Bureau of Agricultural Extension (BAEx), 2. Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), 3. Philippine National Bank (PNB), 4. Agricultural Credit Administration (ACA), 5. Bureau of Agricultural Economics (BAEcon), 6. Central Bank - Department of Rural Bank and Savings and Loans Association (CB-DRBSLA) 7. Land Bank (LB), 8. Fertilizer Industry Authority (FIA), 9.’ Agricultural Pesticides Institute of the Philippines (APIP), 10. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), 11. Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP), 12. National Grains Authority (NGA), 13. Bureau of Cooperatives (DLGCD), 14. Department of Applied Research Training and Information Program (DARTIP), 15. Philippine Constabulary (PC), 16. National Irrigation Administration (NIA), 17. Bureau of Soils, 18. Farm Systems Development Corporation (FSDC), 19. Federation of Free Farmers Association (FFFA), and 20. Federation of Farmers Association in the Philippines, Incorporated (FF API). Technical Committee. Working side by side with the NMC is a Technical Committee which determines and recommends the rice varieties and inputs that are to be used in the program. It also determines policy solutions in the control and eradication of pests and diseases. This Committee headed by a representative from BPI is composed of representatives from UPJ.B College of Agriculture, Bureau of'Soils and International Rice Research Institute. Fertilizer and Pesticide. The Fertilizer Technical Committee and the Pesticide Tbchnical Committee backstop the National Management Committee in matters concerning fertilizers and pesticides used in the program. They advise, suggest and recommend to the NMC actions and solutions to problems that have relevance to fertilizer and pesticide usage. The committees are headed by representatives from the Bureau of Soils. Provincial Committee. At the provincial level, Masagana 99 is managed through the Provincial Action Committee (PAC) headed by the provincial governor who is the chairman, and the PPO for Rice as the executive vice chairman. The PAC replicates the National Management Committee at the provincial leveL It takes charge of the over-all implementation of the program and formulates provincial policies which are necessary within the framework of the existing rules and regulations of Masagana 99. Other members of the PAC are: 1. PC Commander; 2. provincial heads of BPI, BAEx, ACA, DLGCD, NGA, PNB, and 3. representatives of rural bankers, millers, traders and input dealers, CB-DRBSLA agricultural credit supervisors, DAR, Farm Rural Broadcasters and Federation of Farmers Association in the Philippines Incorporated. Municipal Team. The Municipal Action Team (MAT) is patterned in turn after the PAC. It implements the program in the municipalities and oversees the local management systems among production groups of five to seven farmers. Like the governor, the municipal mayor is the chairman of the team. He is responsible for involving the barrio captains and production leaders in the realization of the goals of the Program. Other members are production technicians and representatives of the rural banks and the PNB. □