Certified seeds now planted in bigger areas
After many years of promotion, rice certified seeds are now being planted in a much bigger area than hybrids because most farmers have already accepted its positive impact of producing more yield than farmers’ home-saved seeds, the Department of Agriculture said.
In the past, few farmers plant CS because it has to be purchased every season and it is regarded as an expensive input with uncertain quality. Before the start of the DA’s rice program in 2001, CS was planted to only 350,000 hectares. In cropping year 2009, it was already planted to 2.73 million hectares.
The DA rice program is continuously educating farmers to shift to either hybrid or inbred rice certified seeds. A farmer needs 15 to 20 kilos per hectare and 40 kilos per hectare of hybrid rice seeds and CS, respectively.
With this, hybrid rice may be thought of as a new and low adoption technology among farmers since it is a season and location specific technology that needed further information campaigns. Back in its early years, there were limited numbers of hybrid rice varieties that farmers could choose from.
But nowadays, more private companies in addition to the public sector engage in hybrid rice research and development, and seed business so there are many varieties available in the market that is suitable to every farmer’s needs.
Just like CS, hybrid rice will soon be acceptable to most farmers considering that they can harvest 6 to 12 metric tons per hectare. It has a yield advantage of 15 percent to 30 percent over the best CS.
In Nueva Ecija, farmers are again overwhelmed with the benefits that they are reaping from their hybrid rice farms. More than 55,000 hectares of rice fields were planted to hybrid rice in 2010 dry cropping season. Farmers have harvested an average yield of 7.73 metric tons per hectare. An average yield of only 5.70 metric tons per hectare was harvested from more than 93,000 hectares planted to inbred rice CS.
Hybrid rice technology is seen as the most viable option in raising farmers’ yields without necessarily increasing rice lands. Over the past three decades, the technology has helped China achieve food security, but has not yet reached its potential in the tropics. Hybrid rice technology can raise the yield of rice and thus overall rice productivity and profitability in Asia.
When planted, the hybrid rice commercial cultivation procedure is basically the same as inbred rice varieties. Although it requires greater attention in seed and seedling management, hybrid rice is grown much like inbred varieties.
In the succeeding seasons, seed subsidies can be reduced or be phased-out totally. But the rice industry still needs more extension activities like cluster demonstration, farmers’ training, and accessible credit to sustain and expand the hybrid rice and certified seeds commercial cultivation.
To sustain the increase in local rice production, the DA must continue its irrigation and infrastructure projects, and provision of post-harvest facilities, and composting facilities so that farmers especially the marginalized farmers will be encouraged to plant more.
Given enough budget and support of all the players in the industry, the DA’s target of self-sufficiency in 2013 is possible. The DA will continue to work with the farmers, the local government executives, and other industry stakeholders because they play vital roles in making things happen to achieve production targets.
