The Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) is working to enhance the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP) with the support of the area’s academic sector, an agricultural official said Thursday.

DA-13 Regional Executive Director Arlan Mangelen said the agency had tapped Caraga State University’s (CSU) support to increase students’ awareness and interest in agriculture, particularly rice production.

“Aside from supporting our rice farmers with the needed inputs, machinery, and infrastructure, it is also important to raise the awareness and interest of students and the youth on agriculture, especially rice production,” Mangelen said in a statement.

The MRIDP aims to enhance rice production by providing farmers with better rice seeds, fertilizers, and infrastructure to help them transport their harvests to market centers.

On Wednesday, DA-13 provided the CSU with a rice combine harvester and a four-wheel drive tractor worth PHP3.3 million to enhance its agriculture-related programs and activities.

“Partnering with the academe to produce students that will soon be leaders in food production is our strategy to sustain and improve our production,” Mangelen said.

Agriculture students, he said, must be oriented and trained in agricultural technologies and mechanization, which have been proven to increase rice productivity.

Three provinces in the region – Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur – are under the DA’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEF), where various organizations have received machinery and equipment support through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).

As of the first half of this year, PhilMech-Caraga reported that farm machinery and equipment worth PHP162 million had been released to 121 associations of rice farmers in RCEF areas. (PNA)