Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Kalinga seed growers agree to protect hybrid rice industry
TABUK CITY -- Aimed at protecting the booming hybrid rice industry in Kalinga from ill-business practice, local seed growers and inspectors agreed to upgrade the packaging of their hybrid rice seeds products.
Joe Casibang of Department of Agriculture (DA) provincial office said the move stemmed from complaints about adulterated hybrid rice seeds reaching some farmer-consumers here.
During the refresher training called by the DA last week, the group of seed growers and inspectors agreed to adopt only one package design, bearing a common zeal to prevent unauthorized entry to the hybrid rice seed production business.
The group also batted for the change in merely stapling the product tags on the bags to a manner more permanent. This way, unscrupulous transferring of tags from the authentic bag to an adulterated seed bag can easily be detected, Casibang explained.
Like in any other business industry, certain malpractices occur, which the hybrid rice seeds growers are preventing in the province, Casibang said.
"We are doing this not only to protect the industry but other farmer-consumers as well, who already have tried buying adulterated seeds," he said.
The DA reiterated seed quality control standards among seed growers to sustain the province's marketing lead in the country.
Kalinga hybrid rice seeds are now exported to places outside the province with its major market outlets in Regions 1, 2 and 3.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently announced plans to make the country the major rice producer in Asia by 2010 and ordered the DA to provide all-out support to farmers and even enhanced the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani rice program.
In Kalinga, the government is giving management and technical support to four rice seed growers, two for hybrid rice seeds and two in inbred rice.
