Ministry reduces dry season rice target after farmers produce less
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has set this year’s target for dry season rice production lower after the country’s rice farmers failed to meet last year’s mark. Last season the Department of Agriculture under the ministry encouraged farmers around the country to grow 126,000 hectares of rice but they were only able to plant 98,000 hectares, the department reported. This dry season the department, under agreement from relevant sectors of the ministry, have set a target to grow 95,000 hectares but until now have only planted about 90,000 hectares or 95 percent of the planned output. Farmers around the country have currently completed their planting but some provinces have not yet reported their planting figures.
