NE makes bid to become RP’s hybrid capital
Nueva Ecija may soon become the hybrid rice capital of the country as more and more farmers in the province are planting the hybrid rice variety and using an integrated farming scheme “which has maximized their rice yield and income.”
This is according to Henry Lim Bon Liong, chairman and chief executive officer of SL Agritech Corp. following a visit recently at a Nueva Ecija hybrid rice farm with Dr. Zhang Zhaodong, a Chinese rice scientist who is executive vice president for research and development of his firm.“
Nowadays they are reaping a lot more than before when they were planting the traditional rice variety and were not working as a group. Now, under a cluster system, their harvest has not only increased tremendously, their incomes have also gone up substantially,” Lim said.
He said the Bagong Buhay Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BBMPC) of Mabini in Sto. Dominggo in Nueva Ecija, a cluster of 200 hectares, “is one example where working together as a group or common sharing of resources will have tremendous effect especially as regards food production.”
BBMPC has been named by the DA as a “model hybrid rice cluster” as its farmer-members have been posting an average harvest of 180 cavans or 10.9 metric tons (MT) per hectare using the SL-8H variety. Felino “Jojo” Garcia jr., BBMPC chairman, said during a recent interview with members of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) that using the clustering approach, farmers will greatly benefit as they will maximize their rice yield and income.“
Ako na lang,
Lim commended the members of BBMPC who, he said, “are receptive in adopting modern farm technologies and practices.”
He said that while “we are all aware of the important role played by technology in our massive food production efforts, there is the apparent need for all of us to keep abreast with the various technological approaches and to continuously be in search of new and better systems towards increased productivity.
- Latest
