Senator Cynthia Villar is pushing for the planting of inbred seeds to help farmers increase rice production.
During the graduation ceremonies for farmer leaders who completed the training program on farm mechanization and inbred seed production, Villar said compared to the more expensive hybrid seeds, the inbred seeds will help farmers produce more rice without costing much.
“Kaya gusto ko ito kasi iyong inbred seeds, pwedeng kayo ang magparami nito, hindi kailangang bilhin nyo lagi. Hindi kayo maghihintay sa gobyerno para mabigyan ng seeds dahil hindi naman kaya ng gobyerno na lahat ng magsasaka mabibigyan ng seeds,” the seasoned legislator said.
Thirty-two farmers coming from CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Occidental Mindoro, Bicol Region, North Luzon, Central Luzon and Leyte completed the 5-day training program at the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG) Farm School in Bacoor, Cavite.
Under the Rice Tariffication Law, a P10 billion program is created to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Filipino farmers.
The veteran lawmaker said teaching Filipino farmers how to mechanize farm operation will help reduce the labor cost of producing palay by as much as 25 percent. At present, farmers in Vietnam produce palay with a labor cost of P1.20 per kilo, while the Philippines has a labor cost of P4.60 per kilo.
“Teaching Filipino farmers how to mechanize farm operation will help reduce the labor cost by 25 percent.”
“The use of inbred seeds will increase farmer’s yield by as much as 50 percent. This will also provide the opportunity for farmers to become seed growers engaged in trade,” the lady senator said.
“The use of inbred seeds will increase farmer’s yield by as much as 50 percent.”
One of the trainees is 48-year-old Reynaldo Peja, chairman of a farmers’ cooperative in Dapdap Alang-Alang, Leyte. He said the 5-hectare land he is tilling will produce 120 to 150 sacks of palay from the previous 90 sacks only because of the modern technology and practices he learned from the program.
Peja is expected to share his learnings to cooperative members and other farmers in his community when he returns to Leyte.
