THE Department of Agriculture has encouraged farmers to plant rice ahead of their “cropping calendar” to avoid damages and losses caused by typhoons.

Secretary Proceso Alcala said that strong typhoons usually visit in October as he considered setting the cropping season earlier by a month or two.

Farmers served by major irrigation systems are the ones capable to change planting schedules, Alcala said.

The DA through its National Rice Program directorate and the National Irrigation Administration will spearhead initiatives in partnership with irrigators associations.

Early planting schedule will be initially implemented in Central Luzon, those served by the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System and the Magat River Integrated Irrigation System.

“If we have enough water through more irrigation systems in place, it is possible to shift the trend, where we would harvest 60 percent of our total production during the dry season,” he added.

The DA chief said that it is from irrigation where the government can attain the biggest difference in terms of yields.

“Farmers can plant rice only once using rainwater, but we can make it two and a half times if irrigation is improved,” Alcala pointed out.

The country gets 60 percent of its annual palay harvest from the main wet season cropping, while 40 percent comes from the dry season cropping.

Despite strong typhoons during second semester of 2011, the country has managed to harvest 16.68 million metric tons of palay, 5.8 percent more than the 15.77 MMT produced in 2010.