DA allots P500M for hybrid rice farmers

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is allotting P500 million over two years for loans and farm inputs to support hybrid rice farmers.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said that of the P500 million allocation, P200 million would be spent this year and another P300 would be allocated for 2014.

Addressing farmers during the 1st Hybrid Rice Congress held in Munoz, Nueva Ecija last week, Alcala told farmers that the government would not resume the provision of seed subsidies for hybrid rice farmers, but would instead strengthen government institutions engaged in breeding of hybrid rice seeds such as the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to make hybrid varieties more accessible to farmers.

The government is also encouraging increased investments from private hybrid seed companies to give farmers more choices in planting materials and drive down the local prices of hybrid rice seeds.

In his speech, Alcala said the government was able to reach a record harvest of more than 18 million metric ton (MT) last year without the provision of subsidy for hybrid seeds. He noted, however, that the hybrid rice sector is an important part of the government’s program for achieving rice self sufficiency this year.

He encouraged farmers to take advantage of the loans provided by the government.

Alcala said the department, under the National Rice Program, would continue to promote both private and public hybrids, particularly those developed by PhilRice through the establishment of more technology-demonstrations farms in top rice-producing provinces.

Farmers who want to plant hybrid rice may avail of production loans of up to P50,000 per hectare and P41,000 per hectare under the expanded P400-million Sikat-Saka credit program implemented jointly by the DA and Land Bank of the Philippines.

Hybrid rice cultivation requires specific climatic and soil condition, therefore, not all rice planting areas in the country could be used for cultivation.

Under the government’s Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP), the DA aims to produce a record harvest of 20 million tons (MT) this year.

Agriculture assistant secretary and National Rice Program Coordinator Dante Delima earlier said that the government intends to increase the land area devoted to the cultivation of hybrid rice varieties from 146,000 hectares in 2012 to 281,397 hectares this year and up to 350,000 hectares in 2014.