EDUCATING FARMERS. Department of Agriculture officials conduct a field day with farmers at a provincial hybrid rice technology demonstration farm in Barangay Cruz, Victoria, Tarlac on March 1, 2022. The DA's Philippine Rice Research Institute on Saturday (July 15, 2023) called on farmers to plant early maturing rice varieties to allow them to make substantial harvests before the onset of weather disturbances. (Photo courtesy of DA)
LIPA CITY, Batangas – The Department of Agriculture - Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) on Saturday called on farmers to plant early maturing rice varieties to beat the full onset of the El Niño phenomenon.
In an interview, Hans Flores, Agriculturist I of the DA’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in Calabarzon, said quick-growing rice varieties could be harvested in 110 days or less, allowing them to be harvested before typhoons come later in the year.
“We plant it (early maturing rice) so that we do not get caught up in the rainy season. When there is a lack of irrigation, we can immediately harvest it. It is also less susceptible to pests and diseases. It will not be affected by disasters (such as El Niño) and the yield will increase,” he said.
Among the early maturing rice varieties being recommended by the DA-PhilRice are the PSB RC8 (Talavera), NSIC RC 394 (Tubigan 32), NSIC RC 396 (Tubigan 33), NSIC RC 402 (Tubigan 36), PSB RC 4 (Molawin), PSB RC 10 (Pagsanjan), PSB RC 82 (Penaranda), NSIC RC 118 (Matatag 3), NSIC RC 120 (Matatag 6), NSIC RC 130 (Water 3), PSB RC 12 (Caliraya), PSB RC 14 (Rio Grande), and NSIC RC 192 (Sahon Ulan 1).
According to Flores, the harvest using early maturing rice varieties can range from 4 tons to 10 tons per hectare.
“Even though we can harvest them quickly, we can still harvest quite a lot,” he added.
He called on interested farmers to download Binhing Palay, a mobile application that helps farmers and agriculture extension workers find out what rice variety they can plant.
He said those seeking more information could text the PhilRice via (0920) 946-2474 or (0917) 111-7423, or e-mail info@eextension.gov.ph.
Rice farmers can also ask about the agronomic characteristics of different rice varieties, various pests and diseases, and rice quality, and search for other Philippine rice varieties, Flores added.
Meanwhile, hybrid rice proponent Henry Lim Bong Liong told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that “the earliest maturity for rice (ripe for harvest) is still 90 to 100 days.”
The chairman of SL Agritech, a long-time advocate of superior rice varieties, further validated PhilRice’s call for planting fast-growing rice in the face of looming climactic swings, allowing the country to avert inflation-fueling shortages.
According to him, hybrid rice can even be harvested earlier than three months, but farmers run the risk of a less-than-optimum yield. (PNA)
