Hybrid seeds and modern methods are key to achieving rice self-sufficiency

LIKE most Asian countries, 90 percent of our rice comes from small holder farmers. The good news is that through the efforts of the government, in partnership with companies such as Bayer Philippines, Filipino farmers are gradually shifting to hybrid seeds, and adopting the modern methods needed to maximize their potential.

One success story has been Myrna Perez-Villa. Using hybrid seeds and techniques she learned by attending various training courses on updated farming methods, Perez-Villa a rice farmer from Bago City, Negros Occidental, has consistently been able to get yields of 180 eighty cavans of rice per hectare.