Kalinga hybrid rice farmer named Gawad Saka awardee

MANILA, Philippines - Michael Lumas-i learned the ABCs of rice farming at the young age of 14. He was his father’s assistant, working almost 10 hours a day, six days a week at their 2.5-hectare rice farm in Sitio Tannulubong, Ipil, in Tabuk, Kalinga.  

Lumas-i is now on his own, no longer the aide-de-camp or right-hand man of his father who died early last year at the age of 70 because of lingering illness.

Now 46, Michael’s life, according to him, “was destined to be a farmer which I am really proud of.”

“Civil engineering ang kinukuha kong kurso noon at nasa second year na ako. Dahil sa walang mag-aasikaso sa aming bukid, I decided to quit schooling at heto, nasa bukid uli ako.” he said curtly.

“Masaya ako bilang isang magsasaka. Ang pagtatrabaho sa bukid ay tutuong mahirap, ngunit dito ko nadarama ang buong kasiyahan na siyang nakakapagpapawi ng lahat kong kapaguran,” he said in an interview.

Last year, the Department of Agriculture (DA), recognized his outstanding achievement in hybrid rice production and handed him the coveted “Gawad Saka” national award for 2010.

Lumas-i’s integrated farm, which won him the prestigious award, consists of two hectares of SL-8H hybrid rice production, poultry, piggery, fishery and high-value commercial crops.

His record hybrid rice harvest: 255 cavans per hectare. He received a cash prize of P100,000 plus other citations.

“To me, this award, given by no less than the Department of Agriculture, is most precious and my feeling is great and exhilarating,” Lumas-i said.

Provincial rice program coordinator Joe Casibang said there were 12 regions nominated to the national search. Lumas-i was the recipient of the Cordillera regional category to qualify for the national contest.

For many years, Michael said he and his father were planting the traditional inbred rice variety which, according to him, their average harvest was only 110 cavans per hectare

He shifted to hybrid rice farming in 2004. His average production, he said, was 170 to 180. “But with the DA assistance, his average production (per cropping) in 2008 considerably increased to 238 cavans per hectare; in 2009, 245 and in 2010, 255 cavans per hectare.

Michael is married to Mary Angeline and they have five children, the eldest a commerce graduate and the second, an agriculture major.