A group of rice farmers in the Municipality of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, is now preparing for the fruits of their labor: a 100-hectare hybrid rice technology demonstration harvest festival, to be held in the last week of October. This festival promises them a higher yield compared to their usual harvest.

The Department of Agriculture – Caraga, in collaboration with the Agriculture Office of Bunawan, has identified the Babadan Irrigators Association based in Sitio Babadan, Brgy. Libertad, Bunawan, as the beneficiary of the program.

The techno demo aims to enhance rice sufficiency through the increased adoption of hybrid rice technology. Over the past two years, the hybrid system has yielded 41 percent more compared to inbred conventional seeds, based on a joint study by the Department of Agriculture and the local government units (LGUs).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who also serves as the concurrent Agriculture Secretary, agreed to adopt the hybrid rice technology as a better alternative to the inbred variety for increased crop production, a statement concurred by the farmers and agricultural technicians of Bunawan.

Municipal Agriculturist Engr. Rey S. Español stated that based on the municipality’s average yield, inbred and hybrid rice production volumes really differ from each other.

“The average yield for our inbred seeds can only provide us with a record of 3.6 metric tons (MT) per hectare compared to the whopping 5 MT/hectare in the case of hybrid rice,” Español added.

Domingo Gaorano, the association’s chairperson, shared that in his personal 2-hectare area, his inbred rice production only reached 100 bags per hectare. However, when he tried hybrid rice, it increased to 130 bags per hectare. For this cropping season, he is expecting 5.6 MT/hectare or even more in terms of production volume.

Apart from its potential to attain a bountiful yield, hybrid rice also provides advantages, such as its multiple resistance to insects, pests, diseases, and tolerance to key environmental stresses.

“We all know how troublesome insect pests and diseases are in our farming activities, but in my experience so far with hybrid rice, it is really resilient to any type of farming problems,” Gaorano added.

Rosalie Cordero, a member of the association, expressed her appreciation to the government for promoting the hybrid rice system and providing them with extension and training programs to boost their local rice production.

“Hybrid rice plays a significant role in our everyday lives. Before, we only settled for 70 bags per hectare, and everything was break-even or even worse. Now that I’ve shifted to hybrid rice and we are given these interventions, I now enjoy 110 bags per hectare or more,” Cordero added.

“Apart from that, I was able to participate in programs such as farmers’ field school (FFS), School-on-the-Air (SOA), PalayCheck System, and I even became a TESDA scholar. I thank the government for this life shift that I am experiencing now,” she added.

In 2023, the Department of Agriculture allocated a budget of P30 billion under the National Rice Program. This budget is intended for various purposes, including distributing hybrid and certified seeds, acquiring production-related and post-harvest machinery, developing small-scale irrigation systems, and implementing extension and training programs. (Kent Warren H. Fugoso, IOI, DA-Caraga, RAFIS)