Nueva Ecija farmers urged to protect lead as top rice producer

MANILA, Philippines - Henry Lim, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of SL Agritech Corp., has urged farmers in Nueva Ecija to maintain the province’s lead as the country’s top rice producer and to promote the planting of hybrid rice “to increase your harvest that would provide a positive outlook for our rice industry.”

“Nueva Ecija is the No. 1 rice-producing province in the country, and I urge you to maintain it in that position,” Lim said as he encouraged farmers in the province in a recent meeting “to be receptive in adopting modern farming technologies and practices to further increase your harvest and income.”

SL Agritech, the country’s top producer of hybrid rice seeds, is sponsoring rice harvest festivals practically all over the country to promote the benefits of hybrid rice technology.

“Every year since 2006, we have been holding rice harvest festivals all over the country. Dito naipakikita ng mga magsasakang nagtatanim ng hybrid rice ang laki ng kanilang inaaning palay. Kung sino ang makakapagtala ng pinakamalaking ani ay may matatanggap na kaukulang gantimpala,” Lim said.

The Bureau of Agricultrual Statistics (BAS) has conducted a survey in Leyte, Davao del Norte and Isabela, where it said, hybrid rice farmers from the three provinces, more than doubled their harvest and dramatically increased their income, compared to those planting the inbred seeds.

Lim said Nueva Ecija, Isabela and Cagayan are the top three provinces planting hybrid rice which recorded 29 to 48 percent yield advantage over certified or inbred seeds.

“Our country has seen the benefits of hybrid rice not only in increasing production but also in raising farmers’ income,” Lim said, as he mentioned several hybrid rice farmers among them Severino Payumo of Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, whose record harvest was 345.6 cavans per hectare; Aida Badong of Camarines Sur, with 345 cavans per hecrare; Fernando Gabuyo, also of Nueva Ecija, 335 cavans; Rosalie Ellasus of San Jacinto, Pangasinan, 257; and Tom Gimenez of Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, 238 cavans per hectare.

Lim said five Asian countries are now adopting the hybrid rice technology of his firm. These, he said, are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria and the latest is Vietnam, which is one of the world’s richest agricultural regions and the world’s seventh largest consumer of rice.

“These countries signed agreements with us to use  our high-yielding SL-8H super hybrid rice  technology to meet their growing demand for the cereal,” he said.

Cambodia and Burma have earlier sent feelers signifying their intention to also use the same technology of SL Agritech.