GMA
Hybrid Rice Consultative Meeting
conducted in Misamis Occidental
By: Cristy O. Saplot
With the objective to assess the progress of the implementation
of the Hybrid Program in Misamis Occidental, a Consultative Meeting
was conducted to the hybrid rice farmers in the 8 municipalities of
the Province last April 22, 2004 at the Misamis Occidental Enterprise
Development and Research Center (MOEDRC), Pines, Oroquieta City.
It is also the objective of the said meeting to identify interventions
and bottlenecks inorder to improve the program in Misamis Occidental.
The meeting was participated by nearly 300 farmers from the municipalities
of Tudela, Sinacaban, Aloran, Calamba, Lopez Jaena, Jimenez, Plaridel
and from the City of Oroquieta.
Telling his success story to all the farmers present, Ephraim Tagab,
a farmer from Plaridel emphasized the good performing ability of the
hybrid rice in terms of production compared to inbred. Ephraim revealed
the following observations in using Hybrid rice:
1. 20 kls. Of hybrid seeds was very much enough for 1 hectare plantation
2. During the tillering stage, each plant has produced 30 tillers.
3. The plants are healthy and strong
4. The panicles are long
5. Each panicle has plenty of spikelets (250-300)
6. The production is much higher compared to inbred coz it has a high
milling recovery.
7. It has a good eating-quality
8. The rice when cooked, doesn’t get spoiled easily
In his inspirational message, Governor Loreto Leo S. Ocampos highlighted
the bountiful harvest of Rico Dayon, one of the farmers of the Misamis
Occidental Hybrid Demo Farm at Libertad Bajo, Sinacaban, near the entrance
of the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park.
Farmer Rico Dayon reached a harvest of 8.9MT per hectare. “Farmers
must possess an entrepreneurial spirit and must have the guts inorder
to improve their income”, Governor Ocampos said.
A workshop among the farmers was conducted during the meeting wherein
major problems were identified. To provide solutions to the roblems
raised, agencies like DA-RFU – 10, Land Bank, Quedancor, NIA,
PCIC were present and provided its respective solutions.
It is hoped that the conduct of the consultative meeting would further
enhance the Hybrid Rice Program in Misamis Occidental for it is the
province’s objective to become not only a rice self-sufficient
province but also a rice producer province.
The consultative meeting was sponsored by Agricultural Training Institute
(ATI), DA-RFU-10, Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental and of
the Provincial Agriculture’s Office headed by Provincial Agriculture
Officer, Atty. Procopio C. Lao IV.
