INTRODUCTION

Rice is the staple crop in the Philippines as well as in most of the Asian countries. More than
half of the global population depends on rice. However, scarce resources for agricultural product
ion and unfavorable conditions will make it hard to meet future demand in rice and threaten fu
ture food security.In the recent news, everyone was bombed with the current trading between f
armers and the market. The price of one “kaban” of palay had drastically dropped from P11 to
P7. With that, the agricultural sector have been in the center of interest by alarmed people in a
nd outside the country. The issue is said to have been connected with the government’s decisio
n regarding rice importation. Considering the fact that the Philippines is an agricultural economy
, does it really make sense that rice importation needs to happen in order to supply the deman
ds present by the consumers?

A. Evolution or Development of Rice Hybrids

Hybrid rice technology is a method to increase the productivity of resources needed for ric
e production. The research on hybrid rice in the Philippines was initiated in 1979 by Internationa
l Rice Research Institute (IRRI) scientists beginning with some investigations on heterosis phenom
enon on available germplasm in the region. Test crossings were done that paveway for breedin
g of new hybrids. Improvements on research resulted in the development of seed production te
chnology in such tropical areas such as the country. IRRI and PhilRice collaborated in 1988, leadi
ng parental line and experimental hybrid evaluation. The Hybrid Rice Project was started by Phil
Rice in 1989. During 1990’s, the commercial released of the first two rice hybrids — Magat and
Mestizo actualized because of the continuous testing and study improvements.

In order to approach the need in rice production, the Philippine government under the Arroyo r
egime launched Hybrid Rice Production Program under the Gintong Ani Program of Department
of Agriculture. Since 2001, promotion of hybrid rice has been the central goal of the governme
nt’s rice production program. From 2001-2005, approximately 10 million pesos have been spent i
n promoting the rice technology and adoption process by farmers. Yet, eight years after its intr
oduction to the market, all hybrid seeds continue to be distributed for free or sold at highly su
bsidized prices. Current developments show not only yield improvements in comparison to existi
ng conventional and hybrid varieties, but also fuel hopes for new abiotic and biotic stress tolera
nce.

In 2015, the Philippine Rice Research Institute promoted clean, green, practical and smart technol
ogy in farming. Its initiative updated the farmers with the latest technology on Future rice farm,
breeder seed production and on-farm learning centers. They featured about organic farming, nut
rient cycling, use of alternative energy and farm mechanization that answers the inquiries about
seed breeding in the production area. The institute introduced the ICT-based fertilizer grinds suc
h as Crop Manager and MOET (Minus-one Element Technique) Application. RCM which underwe
nt 15 years of intensive research across the country, gives farmers knowledge about the right a
mount of fertilizer needed for application while MOET app diagnoses what are the lacking or nu
trient deficiency of the rice crop.

During 2016, the National Industry Council (NSIC) launched new PhilRice-bred varieties that is on
e of the strategies in climate change mitigation. The four inbreds and five dry-seeded were dev
eloped by PhilRice, IRRI and UPLB research laboratories. The inbreds are designed on better resi
stance to common insect peats while the dry seeded are intended for pest-prone environment.
Continuous study on this technology would clearly increase genetic uniformity in the region, incr
easing susceptibility to disease and pest outbreaks that could mean of feeding the growing pop
ulation.

Threats on human starvation and war outbreak over resources comes off as one of the m
ost pressing problem and yields turn into the singular target of agricultural development. The s
mall farmers in the Philippines are unable to “catch up” because of tremendous obstacles. Filipin
o farmers are tenant farmers — averagely, 60-70 percent of their harvest are just payments on
rent. A farmer’s income barely cover half of the month’s living allowance and farmers are forced
into “double farming”. Exploitation by landlords whom acts as creditor, miller and connection to
the market as one makes it all worse.

Over the last four years, NFA has only procured an average of five percent of national harvest
when it would need to buy atleast 24 percent in order to influence the market. Depressed and
unstable prices for rice are the greatest constraints on improved rice productivity. When farmers
know in advance that they will earn decent income from their crops, they can make confident a
ssessment in investing to new technologies such as hybrids. Liberalisation will force pinoy farmer
s into competition against cheap subsidised imports when they are already struggling to make p
rofit. There is a need of government intervention

The Philippine study evaluated the performance of hybrid rice on farmers’ fields in two fav
orable rice-growing provinces (Casiwan et al. 2003). In the wet season of 2000, the average yie
ld of Mestizo, the publicly bred hybrid variety being promoted at that time, was not statistically
different from the inbred varieties. However, the cost of production was significantly higher, leadi
ng to negative though still insignificant difference in profits. The same variety performed better i
n the dry season with a significantly higher yield advantage of 17 percent. But due to the highe
r cost of seeds and labor, the net return advantage was not statistically different from zero.
Yield advantage of hybrid rice measured by comparing yields of farmers growing hybrid vs inbr
ed varieties cannot be solely attributed to varietal difference. Farmers typically grow hybrids in a
reas with better production environments in terms of water control, topography, soil conditions,
and so forth. They also tend to apply more fertilizers, agricultural chemicals, and labor inputs on
hybrid compared to inbred varieties. While comparison of profitability instead of yields corrects
for differences in application of inputs that can easily be valued, other important factors are still
not taken into account. Peng et al.’s (2003) analysis of results of scientists’ trials in various locati
ons in tropical Asia provides estimates of yield advantage of hybrid over inbred varieties that mi
nimize attribution problems due to differences in production environment, input application, cult
ural practice, and quality of management.

Research and development in breeding and seed production were intensified, including the colla
borative undertakings with IRRI, UPLB, and selected Chinese hybrid rice institutions. The Philippin
e Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) began conducting both season-long (17 weeks) and short-ter
m (4 days) training programs on hybrid seed production for potential seed growers, seed inspec
tors, seed analysts, seed coordinators, and extension workers