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Philippines allocates P2.5 billion for hybrid rice seeds for 500,000 hectares
Jun. 29, 2016
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The new Duterte Administration has met in Davao City with the Rice Board, an association of rice seed producers– particularly hybrid and certified seeds—to seek assurance of supply of seeds beginning November planting for the dry season crop year 2016-2017.
“Incoming DA Sec. (Emmanuel) Pinol asked seed producers’ assurance for seed availability. Seed producers committed to make available seeds for one million hectares,” said Dr. Santiago R. Obien, DA senior technical adviser.
Seed producers assured Piñol that they can produce hybrid seeds for 500,000 hectares by November 2016.
Immediately, though, the target is to produce seeds for as much as one million hectares, according to SL Agritech Corp. (SLAC) Consultant Dr. Frisco M. Malabanan.
“Seed producers in general agreed they can deliver seeds for one million hectares. But Sec. Pinol said DA may have the budget initially for only 500,000 hectares. The seeds will be given to farmers for free,”said Malabanan.
“SL Agritech and other seed producers assured the secretary that we will have the seeds ready. SL Agritech itself is ready to supply whatever is deficient in the seed supply as SL Chairman Henry (Lim) also met with Sec. Pinol last June 20.”
The free hybrid rice seeds is Pinol’s aid to farmers especially those adversely hit by El Nino this last dry season and in preparation for the predicted La Nina, according to Malabanan.
What is even more favorable for farmers under the promise of the Duterte Administration is the provision for free irrigation.
This will be through immediate and extensive construction of small scale, community irrigation systems—pump systems in rainfed areas and small water impounding projects (SWIP)—rather than through construction of huge national irrigation systems (NIS).
NIS’s are not only very expensive—costing billions of pesos. These take a lengthy 5-10 years to build.
“Communal irrigation systems can irrigate three hectares and can be used right away, so we can immediately attain food sufficiency. Sec. Pinol said DA will not build megadams,” said Malabanan.
Megadam construction has also been associated with corruption linked to National Irrigation Administration in the past.
Pinol also wanted to use geotagging technology with the aid of the Department of Science and Technology, said Malabanan. Geotagging, use of GIS-GPS (geographic information systems, global positioning system), will enable DA to track whether farmers indeed receive the aid (seeds, fertilizers) they are supposed to receive.
With the Duterte Administration’s current aim to reduce poverty and eliminate conflict in Mindanao, DA’s aim too is to raise food production in Mindanao.
DA hopes to raise rice yield through hybrids in Mindanao, making average yield closer to Nueva Ecija’s seven-eight metric tons (MT) per hectare from the present three MT per hectare, according to Obien.
Lim said there is a huge potential to raise farmers’ income in Mindanao through higher yield from hybrids. Current fresh palay price in Mindanao, he said, is at a prohibitive P19-20 per kilo because of the low yield– which is also bad for consumers.
SLAC supports DA’s goal of achieving 10-5, or a yield of 10 MT per hectare in order to bring down farmers’ production cost to P5 per kilo, raising their income.
“Bullets may have been raining down on Mindanao (citing the Kidapawan massacre of farmers last April), but the technology that can bring increased yield to rice farmers is already here. We will promote hybrid rice in Mindanao where yield now is just below four tons (per hectare),” said Lim.
For 2016, based on initial consultation results, DA’s Production Support for Technology Adoption for Region 9 totals to P45.4 million, for 162,000 kilos of hybrid rice seeds; Region 10, P11.24 million, 39,600 kilos; Region 11, P19.105 million, 90,000 kilos; Region 13, 48,600 kilos, P13.606 million; and ARMM, P41.6 million, 124,785 kilos of seeds.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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