COTABATO CITY (PIA) - To improve rice yield in targeted areas, the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) in Midsayap, Cotabato has intensified its promotion of soil test kit called Minus-One Element Technique (MOET) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Regions 9 and 12.

Under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Seed Program, DA-PhilRice has established 165 MOET set-ups in the said regions which will help identify the nutrient deficiency in targeted rice fields.

PhilRice Midsayap Director Sailila E. Abdula said that the MOET set-ups were established by farmers in identified demonstration sites with PhilRice experts.

“This project aims to generate site-specific fertilizer recommendations in our covered provinces under the RCEF-Seed Program that could help farmers increase their yield,” Abdula said.

The provinces under PhilRice Midsayap’s area of coverage include Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Saranggani, South Cotabato, and Maguindanao.

The agency mentioned that MOET kit has been proven to cut production cost and increase yield making technology-adapters more competitive.

To gain support from local chief executives, PhilRice has tapped local government units in promoting the said rice technology.

Abdula assured farmers, extension workers, local policy-makers that the said kit is affordable and effective in managing fertilizer in rice.   

Moreover, PhilRice will conduct technical briefings to partner local government units and other stakeholders regarding the project, MOET establishment and assessment, downloading and tutorial on the use of MOET mobile app.

Using MOET, generated fertilizer recommendation per municipality will be in print materials to be distributed to farmers in the next cropping season, the agency said. (ACBiwang/PIA Cotabato City)