GMA-Rice Program Intensify MOET-LCC in SOCCSKSARGEN

Gen Santos City- The Department of Agriculture through the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani- Rice Program is intensifying its campaign for the implementation of the Minus-One Element Technique (MOET) and the Leaf Color Chart (LCC) in the region. Recently, DA-Regional office XII conducted several technical briefings and distributed more than 16,000 pieces of MOET kits and 25,000 pieces of LCC kits all over the region. This is to help the farmers increase their production and at the same time reduce farming cause.
The Ginintuang Masaganang Ani- Rice Program (GMA-RP), as the banner program of Pres Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, aims to ensure food security and competitiveness through yield growth in basic agricultural products like rice, corn and high value commercial crops with the support of effective farming techniques to help stabilize the prices at a level equitable to farmers and consumers. MOET and LCC are among the basic production intensifying but cost-reducing technologies which help the farmers trim down production cost while resulting in more profits.
Developed by PhilRice, the MOET or Biological Method is a recent agricultural technology of determining the kind of nutrients or fertilizer formulations that the rice farms need for better yields. It is important that the soil contain a well-balanced supply of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, copper and iron to ensure higher yield for farmlands.
MOET is a simple, practical, cheap, fast and effective way of analyzing soil nutrient deficiency based on the principle that the rice plant manifests nutrient deficiency through specific deficiency symptoms such as stunted growth, yellowing and chlorotic patterns without requiring complicated and expensive equipment. The technique is also based on the principle that plant will show nutrient reaction to limiting nutrients and can be performed by the farmer himself or by a farm technician right there in the field. With adequate information, the farmer can determine the nutrient deficiency or requirement of his crop.
The briefings for this technique was already conducted and attended by Provincial and Municipal Agriculturists, Agricultural Technicians from the PhilRice-Midsayap, who explained the procedures, and farmers. It started last July 27 in Sultan Kudarat; July 28 in South Cotabato; July 29 for General Santos City and Sarangani province and July 30 for Cotabato province.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture is trying to reach the farmers in other regions through radio and television and urged them to adopt rice farming technologies like MOET and LCC.