Former DA-PhilRice Executive Director Santiago R. Obien (SRO) urged Batac staff to “continuously lift the burdens of the poor farmers” during the station’s 22nd anniversary celebration.
Obien, who served as the Institute’s first director in 1986-2000, said that the station’s success depends on whether it had managed to raise the harvest and income of the rice farmers. As stipulated in the Institute’s strategic plan, the station is expected to improve yield in rainfed areas by 0.5t/ha and reduce palay production cost from P12/kg to P8/kg by 2022.
Established on Feb. 5, 1999 as the Drought-prone Agriculture Research Center of DA-PhilRice, the station has developed technologies for rice and rice-based crops in rainfed areas such as water harvesting, low-cost drip irrigation system, hydro water pump, and modified dry direct seeding technology.
