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AGRI-NURTURE Inc. (ANI) announced that it signed a deal with
Japanese and Taiwanese investors to develop 1,500 hectares of rice
land in different areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The company made the announcement ahead of its
plan to file for listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange this
month.
In a statement, the company said the partnership
is expected to yield at least 30,000 tons of palay per year
amounting to about P1.5-billion.
Antonio Tiu, ANI president said the company will
use technology from Taiwan that would allow the planting of young
rice stalks.
”Planting the stalks while they are young will lead to more grains
as compared with the traditional way of using mature stalks,” he
said, adding trial planting is scheduled this month in Pulilan,
Bulacan.
Tiu said the technology the company would use
includes cross-planting the soil with honey melon to retain the
soil’s nutrients.
”Doing this would also make sure that pests do
not become immune to pesticides,” he said.
The Philippines is the world’s biggest importer of rice, having
bought from abroad at least 1.87 million metric tons last year.
ANI’s move to diversify into rice production
came in consultation with the Department of Agriculture to help the
country address a looming rice shortage.
”We are one with the government in achieving
self-sufficient rice supply,” Tiu said.
”The Philippines has enough land to plant rice and we have the
R&D capability to continually search for the best high-yielding
rice variety that would thrive even in the worst weather conditions
in the country,” he added.
ANI is a diversified agro-commercial corporation involved in trading
and distributing agricultural crops. It also exports high-value
agricultural crops worldwide.
It launched its honey melon production early this year with its
first successful commercial harvest in February. Honey melon is
ANI’s latest addition to its roster of fruits for export.
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