Butuan City, The Philippines
October 5, 2020
Rice farmers in Barangay Baan Km. 3, Butuan City have showcased the 30-hectare hybrid rice technology demonstration for this season under the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga Rice Program in collaboration with the city government of Butuan.
Eight farmer-cooperators accepted the challenge to venture on hybrid rice. They received free bags of hybrid rice seeds and fertilizers. Aside from the farm inputs, technical assistance was also provided.
Today, farmer leaders from Butuan City were invited to observe the various varieties of hybrid rice. The ready-to-harvest demo area was made possible through the six participating private seed companies namely Ramgo, Bayer Crop Science, SL-Agritech Corp., Corteva, LongPing, and SeedWorks.
In his message, DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo expressed his gratitude to the farmers of Butuan City who leap to adopt the high-end technology.
“Adopting hybrid seeds can help farmers become more competitive by allowing them to produce more. The DA continuously provides its all-out support to rice farmers from planting, harvesting, and marketing. The cooperation and dedication of each rice farmer are also needed to surpass the challenges of Philippine agriculture,” Director Monteagudo said.
OIC-City Agriculturist Pierre Anthony Joven is hopeful that the techno-demo area will not just be an avenue of gaining knowledge but rather farmer values will also be reformed.
“Farmers must keep in mind to follow the holistic approach in adopting the Palay Check System and the package of technology recommended through this improvement of yield, grain quality, and profit will be achieved,” Engr. Joven said.
Marivic Garcillano, farmer-cooperator, shared that she used inbred rice seeds before with an average yield of 4-5 metric tons per hectare. As she compared this harvest season based on the crop stand and grains she expected that she will harvest 7 metric tons or more per hectare.
According to the DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute planting hybrid rice is one way to improve competitiveness. This could increase yield and reduce production cost per kilogram of palay. Even if the price of hybrid is higher than certified inbred seeds, its unit cost is lower resulting in higher income for hybrid users. (DA Caraga/PIA Agusan del Norte)
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