logo
NIA pushes contract farming, climate-smart irrigation to future-proof PH rice farming

NIA pushes contract farming, climate-smart irrigation to future-proof PH rice farming

GMA Network16-07-2025
Farmers use the AWD (alternate wetting and drying) technique in a rice paddy in this photo posted by the National Irrigation Administration on March 1, 2025. The NIA says AWD
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is taking bold steps to shield Filipino farmers from market shocks while boosting the country's rice productivity through contract farming, high-tech irrigation, and climate-resilient reforms.
At the center of this push is NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen, who outlined a multipronged strategy aimed at achieving food security and farmer profitability—without additional burden on government.
'So far, magda-dalawang taon na po ang programa natin. Maganda naman ang epekto at marami tayong natutulungan,' said Guillen at the Bagong Pilipinas public briefing, referring to NIA's contract farming scheme.
(So far, our program has been running for almost two years. It's delivering good results and helping a lot of farmers.)
Under this program, he said, farmers are assured of a buying price ranging from P21 to P25 per kilo—well above market rates. Eighty percent of their harvest is sold at market price, while 20% is bought at P29 per kilo for buffer stocking.
However, higher buying prices are just one part of the equation. Guillen then stressed the need to empower farmers as full participants in the entire value chain—from planting to processing to marketing.
'Hindi dapat magtapos sa pagbenta ng palay. Sa co-op, kikita rin sila sa milling at distribution. Ibabalik 'yan sa kanila bilang dividends,' Guillen said.
(Profit shouldn't end at selling palay. Through cooperatives, they also earn from milling and distribution. That comes back to them as dividends.)
To do this, NIA is organizing irrigators' associations into one cooperative per town, which are then prioritized by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) for rice processing systems (RPS) and other mechanization support.
'Yung mga maliliit na grupo, dati hindi natutulungan lahat. Pero kung sama-sama, mas madali silang mabigyan ng makinarya,' he said.
(Small farmer groups used to be left behind. But if they're united, it's easier to support them with machinery.)
So far, NIA has helped build over 300 cooperatives and more than 200 rice processing centers nationwide.
To boost yields without waiting for new irrigation facilities, NIA is also changing the way farmers farm—starting with cropping calendars.
'Binago namin ang cropping schedule. October ang tanim, aanihin ng February. March tatanim ulit, aanihin ng July,' Guillen explained.
('We changed the cropping schedule. First planting is in October, harvested in February. The second begins in March and ends in July.)
This system—dubbed double dry cropping—avoids typhoons, ensures more sunlight, and improves yields, especially under irrigated conditions. It also aligns with what NIA calls climate-smart agriculture.
'Kapag maaraw, mas mataas ang yield ng palay. So tataas ang ani, tataas din ang kita,' he said.
(When there's more sun, palay yields go up. So production rises, and income does too.)
Another innovation is the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation technique which, according to the NIA, helps farmers cut water use by up to 30% while improving crop health and root development.
'Kapag binababa mo ang tubig, hinahabol ito ng ugat ng palay. Mas hahaba, mas mahusay ang absorption ng nutrients,' Guillen explained.
(When you lower the water, the rice roots chase it. They grow longer and absorb nutrients better.)
The added bonus? Farmers can earn carbon credits from this method due to lower methane emissions.
'Nakatipid ka na sa tubig, may kita ka pa sa carbon credit. At mas mataas pa ani,' Guillen said.
(You save water, you earn from carbon credits, and your yields improve.)
NIA is also expanding solar-powered irrigation systems, especially in off-grid and upland areas, replacing diesel pumps and slashing farmers' input costs.
'Dati, aabot ng P40,000 hanggang P80,000 ang gastos sa diesel kada ektarya. Ngayon, libre na gamit ang solar,' he said.
(Before, it cost P40,000 to P80,000 per hectare for diesel. Now, with solar, it's free.)
What sets these systems apart is their built-in AI technology, which provides weather forecasts and planting recommendations.
While national programs are in place, Guillen emphasized that local government units (LGUs) hold the key to sustaining these reforms—especially in marketing and land support.
He also called on LGUs to use their National Tax Allotment (NTA) funds to build warehouses and support local cooperatives. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

DigiPlus says total online gambling ban risks thousands of jobs
DigiPlus says total online gambling ban risks thousands of jobs

GMA Network

time15 hours ago

  • GMA Network

DigiPlus says total online gambling ban risks thousands of jobs

DigiPlus Interactive Corporation—the company behind popular online games BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone— on Wednesday reiterated its appeal to lawmakers to reconsider plans to legislate a total ban on online gambling, warning of massive job losses across the industry. In a statement, DigiPlus chairman Eusebio Tanco said the digital entertainment company is 'open to evolving and improving wherever needed.' 'If there are new standards to meet, or better ways to protect players, we will act swiftly and responsibly. But please, do not condemn an industry, and the 50,000 Filipino families who rely on it, without hearing the facts first,' Tanco said. Lawmakers have proposed a ban on online gambling, arguing that tighter industry regulations as proposed by some of their other colleagues would not be enough. The Department of Health said online gambling is a health issue. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he will be studying the issue, including online gambling's possible effects on Filipinos' health and the economy. The DigiPlus chairman said the consequences of a total ban on online gambling 'go far beyond corporate risk.' 'More than 3,000 direct DigiPlus employees, and an estimated 50,000 jobs across the online gaming industry's nationwide network, including those in information technology, cybersecurity, software development, as well as multimedia artists, call center agents, security personnel, and housekeeping staff are now at risk,' he said. He added that banning licensed operators will not make online gaming go away, repeating his earlier assertion that a ban 'will only drive players toward illegal, unregulated sites with no safeguards.' Tanco expressed concern that responsible and law-abiding operators are 'being swept into a tide of suspicion meant to catch those who have never complied with regulation in the first place.' The DigiPlus chairman said the company 'has always done its best to align its operations with regulatory expectations from PAGCOR and other relevant government agencies.' 'Tell us what more we must do. And we will do it without hesitation. Just grant us the fairness owed to any lawful Filipino enterprise. We stand licensed, audited, and transparent, yet we are made to answer for the crimes of illegal operators who respect neither law nor livelihood,' Tanco said. 'We are appealing to the government: Let us approach this rationally. If we study the issue with clear eyes, we will see that the social ills being blamed on online gaming stem from the illegal market. That is where underage gambling happens. That is where financial abuse thrives. Target that, and the harm disappears,' he said. Tanco said that the company and the licensed gaming operators 'are not asking for special treatment,' but are 'simply asking to be judged by our actions, not by perception, nor by association with those who break the law.' 'Regulation works best when it uplifts what is working, not when it dismantles it,' he said. — Ted Cordero/BM, GMA Integrated News

US announces $60-million aid for Philippine economy, maritime security
US announces $60-million aid for Philippine economy, maritime security

GMA Network

timea day ago

  • GMA Network

US announces $60-million aid for Philippine economy, maritime security

"This is the US government's first announcement of new foreign assistance for any country since the Trump administration began its review and realignment of foreign assistance in January," the State Department said in a statement highlighting Washington's commitment to its ties with its oldest treaty ally in Asia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced $60 million in fresh funding to bolster the Philippines' economy and maritime security, as Manila and Washington agreed to expand cooperation and further strengthen their more than seven-decade-old treaty alliance. Rubio thus announced in a statement Wednesday, two days after he met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was in Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. It also came on the heels of the new 19% tariff rate for goods from the Philippines, which Trump announced after meeting Marcos at the White House on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). Manila and Washington have yet to reveal details of the trade deal. The new levies on Philippine goods were just below the 20% demanded by Trump this month and were above the 17% rate set in April when Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariff rates for its trading partners, including its allies. "This is the US government's first announcement of new foreign assistance for any country since the Trump administration began its review and realignment of foreign assistance in January," the State Department said in a statement highlighting Washington's commitment to its ties with its oldest treaty ally in Asia. The funding, amounting to P3 billion in local currency, would reinforce the Philippines' energy, maritime, and economic growth programs, the State Department said. Rubio, according to the State Department, would seek US Congress approval to allocate Php825 million or $15 million from said amount "to catalyze private sector development in the Luzon Economic Corridor," a US-envisioned growth region in Asia, that intends to increase trade and establish an economic hub in the northern Philippines through major infrastructure and other key projects. "If approved, this funding will support investments in the areas of transport, logistics, energy, and semiconductors that will help create jobs and drive economic growth in the country," the State Department said. Ahead of his summit with Trump on July 22, Marcos met with Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, with the two senior Trump officials reaffirming the US's "ironclad commitment" to its alliance with the Philippines and enhancing economic ties with Manila. Both Manila and Washington share concerns on China's increasingly assertive behavior in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety. The US has repeatedly said it would come to the Philippines' aid if Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft come under attack anywhere in the South China Sea under a 1951 mutual defense treaty. Washington has also forged a trilateral bloc with Japan and the Philippines to boost security, economic, and investment engagements. Such alliances would help its two closest Asian allies, which both face similar territorial disputes with China, diversify their trading engagements as a buffer in case the disputes spill into the economic front. The US is also helping the Philippines shore up its territorial defense, conducting joint military drills and joint sails in the West Philippine Sea and through intelligence-sharing and provision of defense equipment, as the Marcos administration expands its security alliances with "like-minded" military powers. –NB, GMA Integrated News

US healthcare firm eyes up to $500-M investment for PH tertiary hospital
US healthcare firm eyes up to $500-M investment for PH tertiary hospital

GMA Network

timea day ago

  • GMA Network

US healthcare firm eyes up to $500-M investment for PH tertiary hospital

American healthcare firm Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) has expressed its intent to expand its existing Global Business Services (GBS) operations in the Philippines and invest up to $500 million to develop a premium, state-of-the-art tertiary hospital. According to the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs of the Philippines (OSAPIEA), BSMH plans to expand its GBS operations in Manila to approximately 1,200 professionals from its current team of 170. BSMH's subsidiaries Nordic, which provides information technology services and Bon Secours Mercy Health Philippines, provide back-end support services to the company's global operations covering over 50 hospitals, 1,200 care sites across the US and Ireland, and a global workforce of over 60,000. It is also set to invest between $300 million to $500 million to develop a tertiary hospital, which was conveyed during a meeting with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in Washington earlier this week. "As a $13-billion integrated Catholic health delivery system based in the United States, we're proud to expand our global reach and deepen our existing commitment in the Philippines," BSMH president and chief executive officer John Starcher said in a statement. "(W)e are excited to begin the aggressive exploration of developing state-of-the-art healthcare delivery services to provide unique, premium access to Filipinos and our own associates. That said, I couldn't be more bullish on bringing new, premium healthcare services to the Philippines," he added. Should the investment be realized, it would make one of the biggest private-sector healthcare investments by a US-based system in the Philippines. "This is a strong vote of confidence in the Philippines and a transformative opportunity for our healthcare and services sectors," Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Frederick Go said. "We will work closely with BSMH to help turn their plans into reality. Their investment will generate meaningful jobs and help deliver world-class facilities, advanced medical equipment, and high-quality healthcare for the Filipino people," he added. Go, along with economic officials, were in Washington partly to negotiate a better tariff deal with the United States. US President Donald Trump has since announced a reduction on the tariff rate for goods from the Philippines to 19% from 20% previously with zero tariffs for US goods, after what he called a "beautiful visit" by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Marcos, the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term, said the agreement was a "significant achievement," as he clarified that the zero tariffs will only apply to certain markets. — VDV, GMA Integrated News

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store