Productivity of rice seed growers in Nueva Ecija as influenced by selected factors
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Date
1997
Authors
Evelinda F. Casimiro
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Abstract
This study investigated seed growers' productivity and the factors that influenced it. Data were gathered through an interview schedule in which a total enumeration of 64 seed growers in two municipalities of Nueva ecija was done. data were analyzed using means, frequencies, percentages and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Actual production practices were compared with the recommended technology in seed production by PhilRice.
Results showed that majority of the seed growers were college graduate whose average number of years of experience in seed production was 7.05 and 19.74 years of experience in ordinary farming. Most of the respondents were farmer-operators. They had an average farm size of 2.26 hectares and 4.16 hectares for ordinary farming and seed production, respectively. Their average total net income was P33,639.13 and P86,667.13 from ordinary farming and seed production, respectively. All of the respondents attended trainings related to seed production and were members of local organizations. These data suggest that seed growers are farmers who were better educated, experienced, and affluent.
Results further revealed that seed growers were owners of big landholding and high income earners.
Respondents were rational decision-makers, they adapted some of the recommended management practices for seed production by PhilRice, specifically first and second harrowing in land preparation, plant spacing, irrigation, side dress application of fertilizer and harvesting. As regards other practices, they tended to use more than the recommended rate. In seed production, the average yield per hectare was 142.81 cavans during dry season and 95.53 cavans during wet season. In ordinary farming the average yield per hectare during dry season and wet season was 104.28 cavans and 75.7 cavans, respectively.
Total income and income derived from seed production, both during the dry and wet seasons had significantly contributed to the seed growers' productivity. This means that the higher their income, the higher their productivity.
Several production factors significantly contributed to seed growers' productivity, namely first and second harrowing in land preparation, plant spacing, irrigation, side dress application of fertilizer and time of harvesting. This means that adoption of some of the recommended technologies increases the seed growers' productivity.
Except for marketing, farming support was found to have no significant relationship with seed growers' productivity.
Among the problems encountered by the respondents were: 1) competition with non-accredited seed growers; 2) existence of gate growers; 3) marketing; 4) delayed release of tags and result of seed analysis; and 5) seed supply.