DA to distribute high-yielding rice varieties to farmers
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is rolling out this year a production program for high-yielding rice varieties to help farmers attain record harvests.
Under the so-called High Yielding Technology Adoption (HYTA) program, the DA would make available to farmers high-yielding varieties such as hybrid rice, certified inbred seeds and the newly-approved Green Super Rice.
The Green Super Rice is a variety jointly developed by Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
As of last year, it was being tested for adaptability in various DA growing stations nationwide.
According to IRRI, Green Super Rice combines the superior traits of 250 rice varieties adapted to difficult growing conditions such as drought and low inputs, including no pesticide and less fertilizer.
It has a rapid establishment rate, enabling it to out-compete weeds, thus reducing the need for herbicides.
Green Super Rice is developed for farmers planting in areas with difficult growing conditions and limited access to farm inputs.
Agriculture undersecretary Antonio Fleta said the program is expected to increase domestic rice production by one million metric ton (MT) this year and by 500,000 MT in 2016.
This year, the Philippines is expected to produce more than 20 million MT of rice after producing 18.97 million MT in 2014.
The HYTA program would be managed by the National Rice Program and would be implemented by the regional offices of the DA.
The program would be implemented in areas with good irrigation and farmers’ organizations that are prepared to adopt high-yielding rice technologies.
The DA regional field offices would be in-charge of distributing hybrid seeds or certified seeds to farmers groups along with fertilizers and soil amelio-rants.
To sustain the progress of the program and guarantee returns and yield increase, these production inputs would be provided under a conditional scheme.
Each DA regional office may craft their own reward system to guarantee repayment of inputs and increase in yield from the high-yielding seeds.
Farmer groups that achieve good results may be rewarded with hand tractors with trailers, four wheel drive tractors, threshers, water pumps, warehouses, combine harvesters and dryers.