The delivery of seeds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program has to be made more efficient to help boost rice production which initially rose when first implemented in 2019 but has since declined in subsequent assessments by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
A midterm evaluation report conducted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has determined that up to 5 percent of recipients reported late deliveries whose practical impact best explains why rice production fell in 2022l.
Rice production during the period retreated slightly to only 19.76 million metric tons last year from 19.96 million metric tons in 2021 after having actually stabilized in 2020 following the program’s adoption in 2019.
DA undersecretary Leo Sebastian said the potency of the seed delivery program has been proven although its enrolment or registry program has to improve to meet RCEP goals and boost its relevance to farmers.
He acknowledged many farmers recipients have not been properly registered and that farmers need to be in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) as minimum requirement to obtain certified RCEF seeds.
As of March 2022, a total 5,463,735 farmers, fishers and farm workers registered under the RSBSA.
Stakeholders looking to join the RSBSA have to register in their city or municipal agriculture office where they are assisted in filling out an enrolment form that collects personal and relevant socio-economic information as to farm land ownership, farm size, corresponding crops and commodities being tilled, if the farm is irrigated or rainfed, and if situated in lowland or upland, among other information.
The RCEF budget allocation evaluation is based on data using four criteria including quantitative impact on yield, inclusivity of the component, budget utilization and efficiency in achieving stated targets.
The DA said there is a need to establish a mechanism identifying locations where delivery is late and timing the seed delivery with the cropping calendar in areas where late seed delivery is reported.
