Antique is 143.77 percent sufficient in rice, with an available supply that could meet local consumption for 131 days.
Chirstian Dubria, Agricultural Technician II at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, said that the province is joining the celebration of National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) this November, highlighting Antique’s significant role in ensuring the country’s self-sufficiency and food resilience.
“The province of Antique is joining the NRAM through setting up a Rice-Based Exhibit Booth that would promote rice and value-added rice products,” Dubria said.
He said the booth would be set up at the New Antique Capitol lobby on Nov. 18-20, where a rice cluster or rice farmers will display and, at the same time, sell rice and other value-added rice products.
He also said that the booth would be Antique’s entry to the NRAM regional contest to be judged by officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the agri-business sector.
Antique also advocates for rice self-sufficiency, with the province having a sufficiency level of 143.77 percent, based on the OPA rice supply and demand analysis for the Jan.1 to Oct. 31 period.
“The province had a total palay production of 195,936.84 metric tons from Jan.1 to Oct. 31,” he said.
He further said that the province has a sufficient supply of 1,833,968.85 bags for the next 131 days.
The daily demand of its 643,173 population is pegged at 4,252 bags.
“We are assured that we have enough supply of rice for our local consumption for the next 131 days,” Dubria said.PNA
