BAR TODAY || Official Quarterly Publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Archives (2003)

High hopes on mestizo rice
by Junelyn de la Rosa

January-March 2003
Volume 5 No. 1

Rice farmers have something to smile about these days. Mestizo (PSBRc72H), a new rice hybrid
that yields higher than local inbred rice varieties, is being introduced to the countryside by the government's Hybrid Commercialization Rice Program (HCRP). It is aromatic and has better eating qualities than the popular IR64.

Results of economic analysis indicate that farmers can profit more from hybrid rice over the best ordinary inbred rice variety.

Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a ceremonial mestizo harvest with (L-R) Nueva Ecija Gov. Tomas Joson III, Philrice Exec. Dir Leocadio Sebastian, DA Usec. Ernesto Ordonez, DA Sec. Luis Lorenzo Jr., and PhilRice Deputy Exec. Dir. for R&D Edilberto Redona. (PhilRice file photo)

The HRCP is the flagship program of the Arroyo administration's "Unlad Ani Program" that is geared to make the Philippines self-sufficient in rice in the coming years. Named after a river in Ilocos Sur, Mestizo yields an average of 6.3 tons per hectare during the dry season, 25% higher thanthe best inbred rice varieties used by farmers. This medium-maturing (123 days) hybrid grows up to 97 cm.

Mestizo was developed by the International Rice Research Institute(IRRI) and released in 1997. Since hybrids are location-specific, techno-demo trials were conducted to test whether they are adaptable to a specific area. Results indicated that the hybrid grows well in Bukidnon, Iloilo, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Cotabato, Aurora, and Palawan.

In a related study in Pangasinan, Mestizo outyielded the local varieties used by the farmers by as high as 92.175% over PSB Rc82 in Bamban, 47.69% over PSB Rc18 in Gais, and 51.88% over PSB Rc54 at the PSU-Infanta Crop Experiment Station.

The HRCP is directly supported by IRRI, Food and Agriculture rganization (FAO), of the United Nations, Asian Development Bank (ADB), the People's Republic of China (PROC), and Rockefeller Foundation, Inc. (RFI), and, indirectly, by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

How much does it cost to grow hybrid rice?
The additional cost of growing hybrid rice is cheap at P289 per hectare per season. Actual surveys show that farmers who plant hybrid rice incur a cost of P22,006 per hectare per season as compared to P21,717 average cost of producing ordinary rice.

Farmers need only 20 kg of hybrid rice seed--half of the amount needed if they use certified seeds. Thus, additional cost is from organic fertilizer and labor expenses for gathering and incorporating organic wastes in the seedbed, weeding of sparsely sown seedbed, extra care in seedling pulling and transplanting of 1-2 seedlings per hill, and replanting of missing hills.

How much can the farmer profit from hybrid rice?
Results of the economic analysis indicated that farmers can profit more from hybrid rice over the best ordinary inbred rice variety. The farmer can get a net benefit of not less than 6,000/ha/season, even at a conservative yield of 5 t/ha (100 cavans of palay at 50 kg/cavan). A farmer gets a net return of P24,763/ha. Producing hybrid rice seeds also offers new income opportunities for seed growers, rural farm hands, and women.

Can hybrid rice lead us to self-sufficiency?
Hybrid rice has the potential to make the country self-sufficient in rice. At present, we import around 600,000 metric tons (mt) per year. A minimum yield increase of one mt/ha through hybrid rice cultivation in the 800,000 ha irrigated ricelands in the country means an additional 1.6 mt of palay (960,000 mt milled rice), easily making the country self-sufficient in rice.

However, to achieve the full potential of hybrid rice, farmers need to adopt the ideal cultural management for hybrid rice such as water, disease, and pest management, selecting the right kind of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

Any new farming technology spells good news to the industry but whether that technology can deliver its promises, the best judge of it should be the biggest stakeholders in the game - our farmers.

Source: 1) Adaptation of Mestizo (PSB Rc72H) Versus Location-Specific Farmers' Varieties and Some Practices in Western Pangasinan, Wet Season 2001 by Caezar Angelito E. Arceo, April Joy A. Gomez, Crelour A. Alferez, Peter C. Bustamante, Naominida C. Olerma and Elmer C. Vingua of Pangasinan State University, AFMA R&D Paper Awardee during the 2002 National Research Symposium