Written by the Web Team

 

Bound by a commitment.

Six private seed companies sealed their pledge to help the country become rice self-sufficient through commitment signing during the recent 1st National Hybrid Rice Congress.

Representatives from SL Agritech Corporation, Bioseed Research Philippines, and Bayer CropScience said that they support the National Year of Rice 2013 (NYR 2013) by being a government’s “active partner in hybrid rice breeding work.”

Syngenta, Seedworks Philippines Inc., and DuPont Pioneer Philippines also support NYR 2013, the country’s advocacy campaign that aims not to only increase the country’s rice supply but also to encourage the public minimize rice wastage and eat the right amount and healthier forms of rice.

The seed companies said they will complement the seeds they produced with “reliable and cutting-edge technologies that shall help increase farmers’ yield.”

Recently, Bayer CropScience Inc.  launched Arize Bigante Plus, the company’s most tolerant variety to bacterial leaf blight. Bacterial leaf blight is a disease that causes wilting of seedlings as well as yellowing and drying of leaves leading to yield reduction of 20 to 30 percent.

Meanwhile, SL Agritech Corporation implements the “Plant now, pay later” scheme to help farmers buy adequate inputs needed in rice production.

SL-Agrictech also aims to help the country become a rice exporter by supplying Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia with hybrid seeds.

For DuPont Pioneer Philippines, making the farmers understand the benefits of recommended technologies on rice production will help lessen government’s rice imports.

Alex Rigor, one of the company’s plant breeders, also said they will include the value of saving rice and healthy rice consumption in their farmers’ trainings.

Dr. Eduardo Jimmy Quilang, co-chair of the three-day congress, said the public-private partnership in rice sector is being pushed to give the farmers cheaper and wider choice of hybrid rice seeds.

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Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a government corporate entity attached to the Department of Agriculture created through Executive Order 1061 on 5 November 1985 (as amended) to help develop high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

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Philippine Rice Research Institute