SL Agritech Corp. is optimistic local rice production can further improve as the company continues efforts to research and develop hybrid rice varieties.
“As a country that is heavy on rice consumption, I believe that our technology is capable of meeting our country’s growing demand for rice. My goal, not just for SL Agritech but also for the country, is to enable the utilization of hybrid rice technology that would boost our rice production while increasing the net income of our farmers,” Henry Lim Bon Liong, SL Agritech chief executive officer, said in a statement.
He said as the country’s biggest hybrid rice producer, SL Agritech launched in 2020 the Masaganang Ani 300 program which aims to increase the country’s rice productivity, enabling farmers to produce 300 to 339 cavans of rice, equivalent to more than 15 metric tons (MT) of rice production using hybrid rice seeds.
SL Agritech also said prior to the adoption of hybrid rice technology in the country, Nueva Ecija can only produce 870,000 MT of rice annually with an average yield of 3.6 MT per hectare (ha). This increased to more than 2 million MT with an average yield of 6.9 MT per ha with the use of hybrid rice seeds.
“Our team is committed to pioneering research and development initiatives with the hope to continuously discover high-yielding rice varieties that would meet the demand of our countrymen while uplifting the lives of our farmers. With these varieties, we are one step ahead of battling the threat of food shortages because farmers can then produce rice crops with robust panicles and stems, which eventually translates to a higher yield,” Michelle Lim-Gankee, SL Agritech executive vice president, said in a statement.
At present, SL Agritech has more than 3,000 people in its research, production and administrative facilities located in Makati, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac and Davao, she added.
Hybrid seeds, which have been bred using two superior parents intentionally selected for their desired traits, yield a higher volume compared to inbred seeds that are also known as self-pollinating varieties that multiply with the same flower in the same plant.
However, some farmers still prefer inbred seeds over hybrid seeds as the latter is more expensive despite being easier to grow and capable of adapting better to stress and disease.
