ILOILO City – Hybrid rice would contribute significantly to boosting rice production, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA). It selected the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras to pilot the Rice Hybridization Program this year.
For the hybrid cluster, a total 1,746 bags (at 15 kilograms per bag) of seeds were distributed to Guimaras and 73,374 bags to Iloilo.
Three bags of fertilizer complementing each bag of hybrid seeds are being provided to farmers through the voucher system where they could access the inputs from DA-accredited agri-suppliers in Western Visayas.
The DA in Region 6 has already established modern farms across the region, with a total of 100 hectares of hybrid rice technology demonstration farms, according to James Ogatis, information officer.
“Eventually nag-increase gid ang yield sang aton mga farmers using hybrid rice varieties. That is why this year with the tandem of Iloilo (and Guimaras) as pilot areas for the hybridization program, nagalaom ang DA ma-adopt sang mga irrigated areas nga magtanom sang hybrid rice,” said Ogatis.
In a memorandum circular, Agriculture secretary William Dar affirmed that there is an expected yield advantage of at least one ton per hectare against the traditional inbred seed varieties in hybrid rice planting.
“The report of the performance of hybrid rice indicated a clear yield advantage over the certified inbred seed varieties with farmers getting yield advantage of up to five tons per hectare (hybrid yield of up to 12 t/ha) and provinces having average yields of up to seven tons per hectare,” Dar said.
He directed that the regions be guided in selecting the hybrid rice variety best suited for their areas.
Dar added that data on the municipal and province-level performance of commercial hybrid rice seed should be distributed for the guidance of farmers.
“In the future, the National Rice Program and Philippine Rice Research Institute should apply the PRISM (Philippine Rice Information System) in monitoring the performance of hybrid rice varieties for more accurate and more objective yield monitoring,” Dar said.
Meanwhile, Ogatis said interventions for other provinces in the region are covered by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program.
He added that in support to the program on high-yield rice variety, free seeds and fertilizer were distributed to farmers under the Rice Competitive Enhancement Program (RCEP) and the Bayanihan Rice Resiliency Project 2.
Ogatis noted that technical assistance was extended by the department’s agricultural extension workers on top of other science-based interventions and services.
Between 2000 and 2018, Western Visayas had 27 approved hybrid and RCEF high-yielding rice varieties.
November is National Rice Awareness Month./PN
