Tamon poses with his harvest.

Locally-developed US 88 Premium Long Grain hybrid rice variety stands as one of SeedWorks Philippines’ premier offerings in the country.

This hybrid rice variety has been carefully developed to thrive in the local climate and is noted for its resistance to common rice crop diseases. Its long grain and premium, soft texture cater to the preferences of discerning rice consumers.

SeedWorks Philippines president Carlos Saplala said the company produces the seeds in India due to its more distinct dry season as The production of these hybrid seeds requires a temperature difference of about 8 to 10 degrees Celsius between day and night.

Unfortunately, such temperature variation is inconsistent in our irrigated lowland rice areas. There must also be no rainfall during the flowering period to ensure proper seed setting. As is well-known, the rainfall patterns in the Philippines are highly unpredictable,” he added.

Genaro Tamon, a farmer from Bombon, Camarines Sur, harvested an 15.78 metric tons of rice on April 17, using SeedWorks Philippines’ US 88 Premium Long Grain hybrid rice variety on just one hectare of land.

Tamon’s latest yield surpasses his previous record of 15.73 metric tons, set in May 2020 during the pandemic. At that time, his yield was more than three times the national average of 4.07 metric tons per hectare, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

This year, Tamon’s yield of 15.78 metric tons per hectare continues to exceed the national average, which stood at 4.17 metric tons per hectare based on PSA data at the end of 2023. His recent harvest produced 263 sacks of rice, each weighing 60 kilograms, and at the farm gate price of P21.50 per kilogram, he earned a gross revenue of P339,270 in one season.