A white hybrid corn developed by a Filipino entrepreneur has been endorsed by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri as her country’s rice substitute and basic food commodity during the celebration of the "Corn Festival 2002" in that country last April 26.
In that occasion, Alan B. Uy, owner of the Malaybalay City, Bukidnon-based Asian Hybrid Seeds Technologies, Inc. (AHSTI) said Sukarnoputri also instructed her Minister of Agriculture to ensure that the seeds of the hybrid corn are available to farmers as soon as possible.
He said the Indonesian leader also personally named the corn variety, which was development by the AHSTI, as "Nigara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia" (NKRI) or "Unitary State of Indonesia," to help make her country self-sufficient in the coming years.
The hybrid corn is considered by the Indonesian government as the best hybrid and first in that country after it passed rigid tests for its suitability and adaptability randomly conducted by the Department of Agriculture in 24 areas across the country.
Yield tests in the year 2001-2002 averaged 8.4 metric tons per hectare. It is believed that the AHSTI’s white corn is the only variety of its kind that could approximate or even surpass the yield of some varieties of yellow corn.
Also released to commercial markets nationwide are other duly certified corn types, namely Jaya 1, Jaya 2, and Jaya 3, all developed by AHSTI, which hold the distinction of having been able to record a yield rating of 8 to 19 tons per hectare.
The Filipino corn producer also said all these corn types are noted for their resistance to common crop pests and for their low agricultural input requirements.