Camarines governor urges farmers to shift to hybrid rice

Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. yesterday rallied rice farmers in the province "to make it the country’s number one producer of hybrid rice.

"Rice production is a very important master plan in our food sufficiently plan. The objective of this program will all go to naught if we will not work together to attain such objective," he said.

In a brief speech during the ceremony highlighting the awarding of prizes to the outstanding SL-8H hybrid rice farmers from the municipalities of Baao, Calabanga, Milaor, Lagonoy and San Jose, held at the provincial capital cener in Cadlan, Pili, Villafuerte expressed optimism that the province’s multi-million-peso hybrid rice expansion plan will boost the country’s rice sufficiency program.

Henry Lim, chairman and chief executive officer of SL Agritech Corp. and one of the speakers during the afternoon affair, said he was very happy more and more farmers are now planting hybrid rice which, he said, "increases not only their harvest many, many times more but has also greatly increased their income."

"The hybrid rice technology has shown to have improved farmers’ incomes by P15,000 more per hectare per crop over certified rice," he said.

Adjudged first prize winner was Aida Badong, a 53-year-old lady farmer from Barangay San Nicolas in Baao who made a record harvest of 344 cavans per hectare by planting the SL-8 super hybrid rice variety. Among her prizes was a portable rice thresher worth about P50,000.

The other prize winners were Andopo Julao and Franco A. Barrago, both from the municipality of Cabanga, who harvested 249 and 228 cavans per hectare, respectively, by planting the same rice variety; Damaso Taduarn, also from Baao (222 cavans/ha.); Riches Ollets of Calabanga (202 cavans/ha.); Ymmanuel Hidalgdo (170 cavans/ha.) of Milaor; Nympha Odlamar of Lagonoy (168 cavans/ha.); and Josefina Dimaiwat of San Jose (140 cavans/ha.).

The recognition and awarding ceremony was jointly sponsored by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and SL Agritech Corp. in cooperation with the provincial government of Camarines Sur headed by Gov. Villafuerte.