SeedWorks Philippines, an agricultural research firm, recently awarded its “Ang Hari sa Ani” contest winners in the Davao region.
Recognized during simple awarding ceremonies held at Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte were participating farmers with the highest yields during the recent summer harvest season.
Cesar Lomboy, a farmer-businessman from Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte, took home a brand-new Ford Ranger pickup as grand prize. Lomboy harvested a whopping 12.432 tons of rice per hectare within a 10-hectare area during the contest period.
Joining Lomboy in the winners’ circle with the second and third highest yields were Gideon Banez from Compostela, Davao de Oro with 12.246 tons per hectare and Estela Pablo from Asuncion, Davao del Norte with 11.116 tons per hectare, respectively. Each brought home a brand-new motorcycle.
The awarding of the Davao region winners came a few days after the company culminated a similar “Ang Hari Sa Ani” campaign in Central Luzon.
Emmanuel Soleta, a 69-year-old former US immigrant who came back to the country to focus on farming in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, recorded the highest yield with 15.004 tons per hectare.
“Ang Hari sa Ani” is a rice-yield contest that is open to qualified farmers who use SeedWorks’ US-88 rice variety. Every participating farmer planted at least a hectare of his or her land with SeedWorks’ premium hybrid rice variety during the sowing period November to December 2019 and harvest was until April 2020 at the latest.
“We congratulate these farmers for making yields that are two to three times more than the national average,” said SeedWorks Philippines President Carlos Saplala. “SeedWorks has actively been advocating modernized technology and smarter ways for cultivating and harvesting high-quality rice. We hope we can inspire and motivate more farmers to do better by adopting the best practices in rice farming.”
Present during the simple awarding ceremony held at the Municipal Covered Court of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte, which was under modified general community quarantine, were Sto. Tomas Mayor Ernesto Evangelista, Regional Executive Director Ricardo Onate of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office-11, Engineer Elmer Degorio of Sto. Tomas Municipal Agriculture Office, Davao de Oro Provincial Rice Coordinator Jane Haom, Davao del Norte Provincial Rice Coordinator Engr. Leonilo Patayon, Regional Rice Focal Person Jacinto Macoy Jr, and Jose Andamon from the Provincial Agriculture Office, Davao del Norte.
Aside from its known resilience, US-88 produced rice is characterized by its premium quality. The hybrid variety is known for its long grain and ideal softness that discerning consumers usually prefer. Furthermore, it has high milling and head rice recovery that traders look for.
The Davao region is one of the prioritized rice-farming regions in Mindanao due to its promising factors. Just recently, the DA Region 11 announced government-backed initiatives aimed to boost rice production by adopting modern farming techniques and provision of financial, enterprise, and organizational trainings to equip farmers to also become traders of their own produce.
SeedWorks Philippines is an agricultural research firm focused on the development and distribution of hybrid varieties of rice, corn, and vegetables that optimally grow even in adverse climate, weather, and soil conditions, to produce higher yields to benefit farmers and consumers.