At least 180 farmers and partners from three regions have joined hands here to push for the promotion of high-yielding rice varieties and use cost-cutting technologies for production.

In a statement Friday, the Agricultural Training Institute in the Caraga Region (ATI-13) said the farmers, cooperative leaders, representatives from local government units, researchers, agriculturists, and personnel from the attached bureaus of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Mindanao gathered for a two-day Rice Technology Transfer Workshop here starting Thursday.

It said the participants came from the regions of Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao who are directly engaged in rice production.

“The focus of the workshop is to strengthen the promotion of high-yielding and cost-reducing rice production technologies,” the ATI-13 said.

During the two-day activity, the participants formulated plans to promoting new rice production technologies and strategies in their respective areas.

Undersecretary Leocado Sebastian of the DA’s Rice Industry Development and DA-13 Regional Director Ricardo Oñate Jr. are among those who joined the activity.

Sebastian underscored the importance of the Masagana Rice Program under the present administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and its implementation strategies.

“These strategies, including the climate change adaptation, clustering and consolidation of intervention, value chain approach, and digital transformation are steps to better implement the Masagana program that aims to achieve the highest possible rice sufficiency,” Sebastian said.

He added that the convergence of efforts, cooperation, and coordination among the different stakeholders are also the key components in attaining the goals of the rice program of the present administration. (PNA)