(Eagle News)—-Senator Cynthia Villar is pushing for the use of in-bred seeds to help farmers increase their production of rice.
“Kaya gusto ko ito kasi iyong inbred seeds, pwedeng kayo ang magparami nito, hindi kailangang bilhin nyo lagi. Hindi kayo maghihintay sa gobyerno para mabigyan ng seeds dahil hindi naman kaya ng gobyerno na lahat ng magsasaka mabibigyan ng seeds,” Villar said.
She said the use of the seeds will increase farmer’s yield by as much as 50 percent.
Villar also noted the importance of mechanizing farm operation, noting that it will help reduce the labor cost of producing palay by as much as 25 percent.
At present, Villar said farmers in Vietnam produce palay with a labor cost of 1.20 per kilo, while the Philippines has a labor cost of 4.60 per kilo.
“This will also provide the opportunity for farmers to become seed growers engaged in trade,” Villar said.
