Written by the Web Team
Korean rice cultivars being tested in the Philippines are found to be acceptable for farmers in Region III.
In a recent sensory evaluation conducted in the Central Experiment Station of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, three Korean rice cultivars received higher acceptable rating over the local Philippine rice variety.
Miyang, Dasanbyeo, and Saegyejinmi obtained an acceptable rating ranging from 85 to 87 percent from 100 farmers. Meanwhile, IR64, a Philippine variety widely grown indica rice in South and Southeast Asia, received only 75 percent.
The Korean rice cultivars are becoming popular to Tarlac, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija farmers as demonstration trials show that they can yield from 6 to 10 t/ha. IR64 yields 5 t/ha.
Dr. Norvie Manigbas, who handles the testing of these cultivars under the Korea Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA), said that the cultivars are not intended to replace the local rice varieties.
“These cultivars are additional choices for farmers who are in constant search for varieties that are high yielding and have good eating quality. They are always looking for varieties that will be acceptable to the market,” he said.
Since 2010, the KOPIA project hosted at PhilRice is being implemented with the Rural Development Administration of Korea and Department of Agriculture to assist the country in increasing its rice production.
