Monday, February 12, 2007 Kalinga hybrid rice affects RP's food security: official
AGRICULTURE Regional Director Cesar Rodriguez confirmed that the booming hybrid rice industry of the province affects the nation's food security.
Rodriguez told hybrid rice farmers that the big leap in production the province has achieved is a major contribution to the food security of the country. He attributed this to hybrid rice technology.
Government provides various helps to hybrid farmers in Kalinga under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program.
Since the introduction of hybrid technology to the province, average rice yield of farmers tremendously increased from 120 to 200 cavans per hectare.
The record made the town of Tabuk, with its vast sprawling plains, the "Hybrid Capital of the Country" as it is now the major supplier of hybrid rice seeds to nearby provinces of Ilocos, Isabela, Nueva Ecija and the rest.
Rodriguez exhorted rice farmers to fully adopt the technology, citing the big gains they now enjoy from their production. "Breakthroughs in agriculture have been achieved from new technology and this is now being seen among our farmers," he said.
This has influenced farmers not only in terms of rice production but also in their standard of living as increased production means more income, he added.
Elaborating on how this technology can add more income to farmers who could still make business from "farm wastes", he said decoration and souvenir items can be produced out of these materials and are of high demand in the market, adding that what is only needed is the technology in converting them into useful items.
Tabuk, with the titles and awards it gained from hybrid rice technology, is becoming the model in hybrid rice production in the country.
