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January 21, 2018
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BACOLOD City – A total of 286 Negrense farmers completed the four-month Hybrid Rice Production and Rice Crop Manager Course through the government’s School On Air (SOA) Program.
The training, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 in partnership with Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), was conducted through a weekly radio program.
Like students in a formal school setup, the farmers were also monitored and given examinations.
Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said the training was intended for hybrid rice production in a bid to increase rice production in the province.
Masculino said this during the graduation rites held at Bacolod Pavillon Hotel on Thursday.
He added that the trained farmers are expected to plant hybrid rice during the first cropping season in May.
The OPA will provide hybrid rice seeds to the farmers on top of the P315,000 worth of farm tools given to them during the graduation ceremony.
The Negros First Rice Processing Center in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City has 1,000 bags of hybrid seeds ready for distribution.
In hybrid rice production, a farmer needs 15 kilograms of seeds for every hectare of a farm.
Masculino said hybrid rice seeds yield is 30 percent higher than ordinary seeds.
There are only about 4,000 hectares of hybrid rice plantations in Negros Occidental.
Masculino said increasing farm areas using hybrid seeds will largely help the province improve its overall rice production.
He added that the DA Region 6 has allotted P240,000 for two more batches of SOA trainees starting February. (PNA)
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