President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved and adopted the use and production of more hybrid rice in the country as an alternative to the inbred variety in a bid to increase the crop’s production, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said yesterday.
The President on Tuesday met with officials of SL Agritech Corp. (SLAC) led by its chairman and chief executive officer Henry Lim Bon Liong, along with several farmers from Central Luzon, in Malacanang and discussed the current challenges in the rice industry and how to address these, the PCO said.
SLAC, a private company engaged in the research, development, production and distribution of hybrid rice seeds and premium quality rice, recommended the conversion of rice farming areas for certified seeds (CS) to hybrid seeds, starting with 1.90 million hectares currently planted with CS in Luzon that would be converted and planted with hybrid seeds in the next four years.
Liong said adopting the hybrid technology would also result in a two-cropping cycle per year which would provide better income to farmers. He said implementing it nationwide would also help achieve rice sufficiency for the country.
The President in approving the proposal said he will implement a program to promote the shift by providing subsidies and facilitating loan financing to farmers.
Marcos also said the best rice planting practices done by Central Luzon farmers will be adopted later in other areas of the country to further improve and increase the crop production.
A study by the Department of Agriculture (DA), undertaken with some local government units, showed the hybrid system has 41 percent better yield than inbred conventional seeds in the past two years.
According to DA data, hybrid rice model farms had already been set up in several areas and hybrid rice farmers harvested 7 to 15 metric tons (MT) per hectare compared to the average 3.6 MT per hectare for inbred seeds. Hybrid rice model farms had been set up in some areas.
From January to November 2022, the National Rice Program served 1.06 million rice farmers and 3,528 farmer cooperatives through the provision of hybrid and inbred or certified seeds, production-related and post-harvest machinery, small-scale irrigation as well as extension and training activities.
The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Program, Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines have granted P3.37 billion in zero-interest and non-collateral loans to 10,643 rice farmers and 197 borrower organizations and cooperatives. – Jocelyn Montemayor
