FOCUSING on just three rice varieties, Negros Occidental is bound to become the first province in the country to initiate an innovation in rice farming by investing in a provincial government-funded seed production program.
This development came out after Negros Occidental Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. met with Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol during his recent visit to the province.
Under the agreement, it will be called the “Balik Binhi” Program, wherein the provincial government will be developing a 50-hectare land area to produce the seeds of the three inbred varieties that were developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) – particularly the RC 222, RC 160, and RC 216 varieties.
Negros Occidental Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said the three PhilRice varieties were selected for propagation in the province because of their adaptability in the area.
Marañon said the seeds produced from the provincial seed farm will be distributed to the farmers for free.
The recipient farmers will in turn be required to “return” two bags of seeds which the provincial government will again distribute to two more farmers who will also be asked to pay back two bags of seeds each.
Concentrating on just three varieties, the program for Negros Occidental will be the first to be implemented in the country where farmers usually plant just about every known variety.
The multiple-variety farming system has proven to be a bane of the Philippine rice industry where farm management, including the handling of diseases, has largely been a problem.
Multiple-variety farming system also poses a problem on post-harvest operations where farmers who own small landholdings refuse to dry their palay in mechanical dryers with huge capacity because they have different varieties.
Another problem is milling because different varieties have different grain sizes and formations.
In Vietnam, the country focused on at least two major varieties which were all high-yielding and early maturing.
The Negros Occidental’s “3-in-1 Rice Industry Program” could serve as the blueprint for other provinces in the future.
Marañon said this program will be started this coming planting season with the support of PhilRice.
During its recent board of trustees meeting, PhilRice approved the program and has committed to provide technical support to the initiative of Negros Occidental.
PhilRice then gave the following information regarding the three selected varieties:
When transplanted, the RC 216, also known as Tubigan 17, has a maximum yield of 9.7 t/ha with a maturity of 112 days after sowing (DAS).
It is moderately resistant to brown planthoppers (BPH) and green leafhoppers (GLH).
RC 160 has a maximum yield of 8.2 t/ha if direct-wet-seeded and matures in 107 DAS.
It has intermediate reaction to blast, bacterial leaf blight (BLB) and GLH, and is resistant to stem borer. This variety is also known for its good eating quality because of its low amylose content.
While the RC 222, known as Tubigan 18, has a maximum yield of 10 t/ha matures in 114 DAS. It is moderately resistant to BPH, GLH, and stem borers. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
