KALIBO, Aklan – To increase the production volume and income of rice farmers in Aklan, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing for the utilization of hybrid varieties of palay through the establishment of a 100.06-hectare demonstration farm in several adjacent barangays in Numancia town mid this year.
In the harvest festival and field day held recently, DA Western Visayas’ Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer (APCO) for Aklan, Glenn Mariano, said the Community Hybrid Rice Model Farm targets to showcase the advantages of cultivating hybrid varieties of palay in ensuring better income generation and food supply.
“The DA Rice Program has provided free farm inputs, technology support, and marketing fund to the farmers through the Integrated Barangays of Numancia (IBON) Multi-Purpose Cooperative as the project partner,” he said.
A total of 154 farmers received 202 bags (18 kilograms per bag) of hybrid seeds and 1,198 bags of fertilizer. In the initial crop cut yield results, SL8H, SL19H, SL20H, and PHB79 obtained at least seven tons per hectare yield – the highest among the nine varieties planted.
The farmers were also recipients of agricultural machinery, including 10 granular applicators, one riding-type transplanter, and one hauling truck.
Following the community-based and Rice Crop Management (RCM) technologies in hybrid rice production, Numancia farmers used 30 kilograms of hybrid seeds in a hectare through the use of granular applicator and direct-seeding. Meanwhile, a seeding rate of 18 kilograms per hectare through manual transplanting and 15 kilograms per hectare using the riding-type transplanter were practiced during crop establishment in June.
Since hybrid rice farming is requiring the proper application of fertilizer to guarantee a higher palay yield, DA granted the farmers seven bags of 14-14-14, two bags of urea, and one bag of muriate of potash fertilizers per hectare of demonstration farm.
“With the plunging prices of palay, we want to help farmers gain favorable price for their produce. The DA has already downloaded half of the P3-million seed money intended for palay procurement,” said IBON-MPC general manager Arnulfo Magcope.
Magcope said that with the seven tons per hectare average crop cut yield, Numancia farmers could earn at least P50,000 net profit per hectare of hybrid rice production should growers employ the DA recommended technologies.
Numancia rice farmers who used to harvest at least 80 cavans per hectare of palay can obtain 140 cavans per hectare production using top performing hybrid varieties, according to Magcope.
DA’s community hybrid rice demonstration project which is also being implemented in Buenavista, Guimaras; Bago City, Negros Occidental; Barbaza, Antique; Pototan, Iloilo; and Dumalag, Capiz targets at least five metric tons per hectare average yield. (DA-6/PN)
