VALENCIA CITY, Bukidnon – The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (Aggie-10), through its Rice Program, will establish 1,000 hectares of hybrid rice model farms in Bukidnon during the 2026 dry and wet cropping seasons to boost rice productivity in the province

During an orientation with cooperating farmers and local government units on March 4, DA-10 said the project aims to strengthen rice production through the adoption of location-specific, climate-smart, and value chain–integrated farming technologies.

In a press release, the DA said the model farms, a flagship initiative under the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP), will demonstrate hybrid rice production technologies capable of yielding eight metric tons per hectare during the wet season and up to 10 metric tons per hectare during the dry season.

Eligible beneficiaries include rice clusters with at least 100 hectares of production area and members registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA). These clusters must have undergone georeferenced mapping and profiling, maintain a baseline yield of at least four metric tons per hectare, and hold at least Level 2 cluster status with an approved cluster development plan.

The Sinanglanan Communal Irrigators Association and San Martin Irrigators Association in Malaybalay City, Dagumbaan Communal Irrigators Association in Maramag, and Paitan Rice Achievers Irrigators Association in Quezon are the project’s four pioneering cooperators in the region.

Through the National Rice Program (NRP), Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), regular agency budgets, and other institutional allocations, model farm owners will receive key inputs and project support. These include seeds, organic and inorganic fertilizers, crop protection materials, micronutrients, soil sampling and analysis, capacity-building activities, and monitoring and evaluation.

Anchored on the three-pronged strategy of Convergence, Cooperation, and Coordination (3Cs), the initiative is also expected to boost rice production by promoting Smart Agriculture (SA) practices and tools, adopting digital monitoring and input distribution systems, strengthening the rice value chain, and generating and analyzing actionable field-level data.

“Through this project, we aim to generate location-specific data on the performance of hybrid rice varieties, nutrient management, and crop management practices under actual field conditions. These will serve as references for farmers in improving rice production in the target areas,” said Jurrybe J. Lachica, Aggie-10 Rice Program focal person.

He added that partner agencies such as the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and National Food Authority (NFA) will also take part in the succeeding project activities.

The hybrid rice model farms are expected to be officially launched in May 2026 once ground preparation and coordination activities are completed. (melbmadera)