DA revives joint PHL-China hybrid rice program

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is reviving the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT), a technical cooperation program with the Chinese government on hybrid rice technology. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala on Monday met with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing, as well as other officials from the Chinese Embassy in Manila to discuss plans for accelerating phase two of the capacity building program for the center. “We will maximize our relationship with China. It should not all be about conflict” said Alcala. “This is a good time to pursue this because the private sector is responsive.” The Nueva Ecija-based PhilSCAT was established in 2003 through a $45 million grant from the People’s Republic of China with counterpart funds from the DA. The research center produced many commercial rice varieties that have been sold in the local market. PhilSCAT is currently not conducting any kind of major research. Only a skeletal workforce has been retained in the institute for which P2 million was allocated by the DA National Rice program in 2012. But with the revival of the second phase of the program, the Chinese government will provide technical expertise and the farm equipment needed to conduct research on the cultivation of hybrid rice varieties. China will also send over agricultural technicians to train Filipino agricultural scientists. The Philippine government, in turn, will put up several test areas spanning 100 hectares nationwide. “These areas will test both the hybrid rice varieties and the farm mechanization,” said Dante Delima, DA Assistant Secretary and National Coordinator for Agri-Pinoy Rice Program. The joint program will complement the research being done by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) on hybrid varieties. The institute also develops hybrid rice seed varieties, though it focuses on the development of inbred rice. In developing new hybrid rice varieties, PhilSCAT scientists will cross breed Chinese rice varieties with local varieties to make these suitable for Philippine climate. China, on the other hand, will benefit from the joint project by having the opportunity to showcase farm machinery and rice varieties. Alcala said the Philippine and Chinese governments intend to finalize the agreement on the joint project within the semester so it can be implemented within the year. The budget and the timetable for the second phase of the project is still being determined. Increase in hybrid rice cultivation The Philippine government is encouraging the use of hybrid rice seeds to increase the Philippines’ average rice yield by as much as 10 metric tons (MT) per hectare from the current 3.5 MT per hectare in the long term. Alcala said, however, that the government is not solely pinning its hopes on achieving rice self-sufficiency through the use of hybrid rice varieties because inbred varieties are also performing well. It will, however, contribute to the country’s goal of achieving rice self- sufficiency by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Delima said the government intends to increase the land area devoted to the cultivation of hybrid rice varieties from 146,000 hectares in 2012 to 281,397 hectares this year and 350,000 hectares in 2014. During the implementation of the first phase of the PhilSCAT program from 2003 to 2008, PhilSCAT established technology demonstration sites in 33 municipalities, in 22 major rice growing provinces in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13 and the Cordillera Administrative Regions. During the testing of the varieties, an average yield of 16 metric tons per hectare was achieved. The center during this period bred 7 new hybrid lines, initially named PhilSCAT 1 to 7, through the use of existing local rice genetic resources. Also, under PhilSCAT mechanization program, 73 units of farm machines were tested to find if they suit the Philippine farming system. Through increased farm mechanization, labor input of at least 20 workers per hectare for seedbed preparation in a single work day was reduced to only 5 workers per hectare. The center also established demonstration sites in Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Bataan, Zambales, Albay and Isabela. — DVM, GMA News