Hybrid rice yields more

By JUNE S. BLANCO

THE experts have spoken: Hybrid rice yields more – and commands a better price in the market – than inbred rice.

Rep. Erico Aumentado (2nd District, Bohol) met rice experts, agriculture and irrigation technical persons, representatives of a government bank and rice growers as well as the businessman who had signified to buy all hybrid rice production in Bohol to take stock of their position in the wake of the regional situationer that showed the province’s rice self-sufficiency level to have dipped to 76.17% in 2011 from an all-time high of 113% in 2008-2009 even at the height of the El Niño phenomenon.

Agriculture Region 7 Director Angel Enriquez had submitted a briefer to the solon that now forms part of his monitoring system for his plant hybrid rice and fertilize now-pay later program in tandem with his rice ratooning program aimed at giving farmers in his district a crack at doubling or at least improving their yield.

The solon admits that another source has higher figures for rice self sufficiency in 2011.

The Enriquez figures and the other source factored in Bohol’s growing population and its attendant increasing demand.

But, the solon emphasized, the Enriquez figures consider solely the province’s production and excludes the buffer stock of imported rice from other provinces and even other countries that the National Food Authority (NFA) keeps in its warehouses here – which the other source included.

Hybrid rice doubles production as long as it is properly cultivated, fertilized and taken care of.

Production is further boosted with ratooning wherein Aumentado provided the fertilizers with allocations from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) at one bag of urea per hectare for participating farmers.

Ratooning is allowing the harvested rice stalks in irrigated areas to grow again, fertilizing and caring for them in order to get a second crop for the season from one planting only.

Aumentado and the participating farmers started with 540 hectares which the solon upped to 1,100 hectares the following season. The Department of Agriculture Bohol Field Office under Engineer Eugene Cahiles provides technical assistance on rice matters while the National Irrigation Administration under Region 7 Manager Diosdado Rosales provides the technical assistance on irrigation concerns.

Land Bank of the Philippines provides loans for agricultural inputs including labor while Marlito Uy of the Alturas Group of Companies buys the properly dried hybrid palay at P1 higher per kilo than the going rate. Uy added that he will buy all varieties of hybrid rice that the Bohol famers can produce – including those that Malabanan and Rosales have yet to pilot in the province.

The meeting attendees were signatories or their representatives to a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the plant hybrid rice and fertilize now-pay later as well as the ratooning programs.

Cahiles, Rosales and Dr. Frisco Malabanan, technical consultant of the SL Agritech Corp. (SLAC) and the latter’s colleagues who have been developing improved varieties of hybrid rice agree that the panicles produce twice the number of grains than inbred rice.

Inspired by the success of the first two ratooning cropping seasons, Aumentado and Rosales said they will gun for 3,000 hectares in the next season – and go for all hybrid varieties that DA and SLAC will endorse.