"The Asia-Pacific region is home to 64% of the world’s undernourished. Rising food prices, compounded by energy price fluctuations and the current financial crisis, has made innovation in agricultural technology imperative," UNESCAP said in the statement.
"Experience in China has shown that hybrid rice technology can increase crop yield per unit, in the face of decreasing arable land and water supply," it further said.
Ronilo A. Beronio, executive director of state-run Philippine Rice Research Institute, earlier said that the hybrid palay varieties his agency developed with the International Rice Research Institute, such as tropical indica and japonica, can produce as much as 10-12 metric tons per hectare or almost thrice the 3.8 MT per hectare national yield average.
At the same time, Philippine National Rice Program director Frisco G. Malabanan earlier said that hybrid rice seeds yield 15% more than the 4-5 MT per hectare produced by certified seeds.
Mr. Malabanan has also pointed to hybrid rice production as a key program in meeting the country’s target of 100% rice self-sufficiency by 2013. Accordingly, the government has set a goal of expanding hybrid rice coverage to 500,000-700,000 hectares by 2013 from the current coverage of 375,000 hectares.
But Mr. Malabanan said in a text message yesterday that he is not yet aware of the hybrid rice cultivation project set to be launched in Beijing today.
In its statement, UNESCAP said the lead agencies for the project will include its regional institution, the United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery, and the Centre for International Cooperation Service of the Ministry of Agriculture of China.
Aside from the Philippines, the project will also contribute to hybrid rice promotion in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste. — M. P. T. Jamias
