The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is encouraging seed growers from Central Luzon to engage in hybrid rice-seed production to increase the availability of hybrid rice-seeds in the region.
PhilRice said in a statement that it recently conducted its first consultative meeting and planning workshop with seed growers and other stakeholders from Central Luzon’s rice sector.
During the meeting Richard Romanillos, science research specialist, told participants that farmers in the region are in need of public hybrid seeds, such as Mestiso 19 and 20 that have average seed yields of 1 tons per hectare to 2 tons per hectare and 1.5 tons per hectare to 1.8 tons per hectare, respectively.
PhilRice said the meeting and planning workshop is in support to its Public Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program. Leylani Juliano, program lead, said the aim of the agency attached to the Department of Agriculture is to increase the use of hybrids for higher grain yield and produce labor opportunities in the rural rice-growing communities.
According to studies, every hectare of commercial hybrid-rice production needs more workers, roughly 270 man-days of farm labor.
Henry Lim, chairman of the Seed to Rice Cooperative, shared that hybrid-rice seed production today is better because the solutions are now available to cope with production-related problems.
On marketing, Bernadette Centiles, vice chairman of Davao Oriental Seed Producers Cooperative, said, “It is a must that quality seeds should be readily available in every area to ensure high-production output.”