March 26, 2003
Manila Bulletin via SEARCA Biotech News Updates
Mindanao rice farmers marked a record-high harvest with the use
of a new hybrid rice variety, boosting the country's chances of
increasing its overall harvest levels by the end of this year,
sources from the
Department of Agriculture disclosed.
Farmers from Agusan, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato and other
Mindanao provinces reported average increases of over 30 percent
to their harvest following the use of the Magilas 500 hybrid
rice variety. The percentages increasing translates into some
five to 7.5 metric tons of rice harvest per hectare, a vast
improvement from previous levels of 3.5 metric tons per hectare
of rain-fed farm using the traditional rice varieties.
Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. said the government has
identified hybrid rice production "as the strategy for attaining
self- sufficiency in this staple food crop." The Arroyo
government has hybrid rice production a push through
Administrative Order 25, which launched the Unlad-Ani Program.
In addition to Magilas 500, which was developd by international
agricultural research leader Monsanto, Philippine rice farmers
have also begun using the Mestizo variety developed by the
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
Lorenzo said the government "is optimistic that the country can
slow down rice importation in the near future with growing
domestic propagation of hybrid rice". A possible review of the
rice pricing policy as a result of increased harvest levels is
not too far off, he added.
Lorenzo said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has directed the
Agriculture Department to speed up the domestic propagation of
hybrid rice varieties and has et aside some P450 million last
year of this
purpose.
He said a total of 125,000 hectares for both wet and dry season
planting has been set-aside for the current year. The total area
corresponds to a projected output increment of some 500,000
metric tons of palay or 325,000 metric tons of rice..
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