Government to build new rice centers

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is building another rice seed center in Mindanao as part of efforts to provide quality seeds to farmers in the region.

DA-attached agency Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) recently inked an agreement with the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), the premier and only state university in Zamboanga City, to build the second satellite station in the region.

The P6 million-seed center will be designed to produce foundation, registered, and certified seeds of inbred and public hybrid rice varieties that are suitable for the region’s climate and topography.

“We are trying our best to increase the supply and access of quality rice seeds and having this additional seed center would be instrumental to materializing such vision,” PhilRice executive director Sailila Abdula said.

The first satellite station is based in the public research institution Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Bukidnon with a 96-hectare rice seed production farm.

WSMU president Milabel Enriquez-Ho said hosting the satellite station at the College of Agriculture in the university would help the institution position itself as the center for rice research in the region.

Under the supervision of PhilRice, the satellite station will also conduct participatory varietal selection and multi-location testing of early generation and elite lines of rice varieties.

The DA has been urging farmers to switch to hybrid rice seeds as this will significantly contribute in achieving the 100 percent rice self-sufficiency level of the country by 2019.

While hybrid rice seeds are costly at P5,000 per hectare compared to the normal P1,200, it could produce up to 10 metric tons per hectare per harvest compared to the average four MT per hectare.

The DA has been pushing for the hybridization program to increase farmers’ yield and income and at the same time ensure sufficient rice supply for the country.