Cagayan sees hybrid rice as answer to its long-time wish

MANILA, Philippines - Cagayan Governor Alvaro Antonio said he believes that “planting this  high-yielding rice variety is  the right  answer to my long-time wish  that someday,  our province  will be No. 1 in  rice production.”

“We have not achieved this average  record of 180 to 200 cavans per hectare ever since. Ngayon na lamang sa pagtatanim ninyo ng hybrid rice,” Antonio said, adding that the inbred rice variety produces only about 40 to 60 cavans per hectare

Antonio was the main guest during a recent hybrid rice harvest festival which is one of the festivities being sponsored yearly by SL Agritech Corp. in the different provinces to promote the planting of hybrid rice.

Of the province’s total rice area of  200,000 hectares, only about 20,000 of them were planted to hybrid rice, mostly SL-8H seed variety which is  produced by SL Agritech Corp., and the rest planted to inbred rice variety. 

 Over in Nueva Ecija, provincial agriculturist Serafin Santos  said 15 farmers from the towns of San Jose and Sto. Domingo, were adjudged  winners in the Highest Hybrid Rice Yielder competition sponsored by SL Agritech. The top two winners were Februnio Abad of San Jose City and Gregorio Alcantara of Sto. Domingo, whose per hectare production were 226.81 and 214 cavans, respectively.

 Representatives from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit (DA-RFU),  NIA-National Irrigators’ Association and SL Agritech composed the  members of the evaluating committee.

The other prize winners from San Jose City were Paulo Domingo, 202 cavans per hectare; Victoriano Ariz, 201.92; Arthur Castgro, 189.52; and Cirilo Gaygay Jr., 189.42 cavans per hectare. Farmer-winners from Sto. Domingo were Rodolfo Bautista, 202 cavans per hectare; Elisa Mangahas, 182; Anselmo Santos, 181; and Edwin Ambrosio, 179.6 cavans per hectare.

In the water pump area category, the winners were Rolando Samonte, 181.91 cavans per hectare; Oscar Cacabillos, 169.68; Jimmy Morales, 160.75; Carolina Vergara, 154.39; and Rogelio Cabico, 151.72 cavans per hectare.