Isabela a major hybrid rice producer

The provincial government of Isabela has vowed to support all farmers who would like to shift to planting hybrid rice instead of the traditional variety.

"We fully support the national government’s hybrid rice program and all farmers in Isabela who want to plant hybrid or Gloria rice will be provided with technological assistance," said Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy.

Dy described how farmers in his province can benefit from planting hybrid rice. "Imagine harvesting almost double than what you used to per hectare. That translates into dobleng kita (double income) per hectare," he said.

Benito Calderon, a congressional candidate in the second district, echoed this view.

"The second district of Isabela, the municipality of Roxas in particular, has become a center for producing hybrid rice seeds, which the farmers plant in their fields," Calderon said.

He said the hybrid seeds being produced in his district are being sold to as far as Mindanao as the number of farmers who are now planting hybrid rice is growing.

Calderon vowed to support all initiatives to further expand hybrid rice production in Isabela.

The Department of Agriculture named Isabela as the outstanding hybrid rice producer last February.

In March, the province received the Dr. S.S. Virmani Award as a hybrid rice grower. Recently, it received a special citation from SL Agritech Corp.