Gov’t urged to invest in rice program

The government will be able to meet the challenge of a progressive, self-sufficient and stable grains industry, according to an official of the country’s top producer of hybrid rice seeds.

Dr. Noel G. Mamicpic, vice president of SL Agritech Corp., is confident that with the support of private organizations and the use of modern farming technology, the government’s objective “will be carried to fulfillment.”

He explained: “Effecting the intergrated growth and development of the country’s grains industry is a gigantic task which the Department of Agriculture (DA) cannot accomplish alone. The involvement of the private sector in the agency’s various programs will enhance the country’s socio economic conditions thereby benefiting the broad masses of our people.”

Mamicpic said the development of the country’s grains industry and the “realization of a healthier Filipino citizenry will come only if we join hands and be united in the overall effort to attain these goals.”

He cited that the concerted efforts of the government and the farmers for increased rice production are bearing fruit “as most of our farmers now are planting the high-yielding hybrid rice seed variety.”

In rice production alone, he said, there are still thousands of hectares of virgin lands which can be turned into verdant rice fields.

He is optimistic that “there may come a time when we will no longer have to import the cereal.”

He said farmers growing the ordinary rice varieties can increase their yields many times more if they use hybrid seeds such as the SL-8H variety and the latest farming technology.

The government’s investment in a rice program will have tremendous multiplier effort on the economy since farmers can earn a net income of more than P100,000 per hectare per season if they harvest 14 to 16 metric tons (MT) per hectare.

“Assuming a farmer only harvested 10 MT, he earns a gross income of P100,000, less an input of 35,000, his net earnings will be P65,000,” Mamicpic said.