“Hybrid rice seeds offer guaranteed quality and yield,” says 69-year-old Fatima Insular from Brgy. Tambal, Janiuay, Iloilo. For over three years, Fatima has been using hybrid rice seeds, transforming her farming outcomes and securing a better harvest.
Before switching to hybrid seeds, Fatima’s harvest was limited to about 75 sacks of rice from her 6,000-square-meter field, relying on traditional inbred seeds. In 2023, she was chosen to participate in a hybrid rice seed demonstration project. The results were astounding—her yield surged to 104 sacks of rice, a significant improvement from previous years. After seeing the impressive performance of the TH-82 variety, Fatima decided to continue planting this variety for the current wet planting season.
Through the Department of Agriculture Western Visayas’ MASAGANA Rice Program, Fatima received hybrid rice seeds, fertilizer discount vouchers, and bio-fertilizers. With these resources, she is confident her September harvest will reach over 120 sacks, surpassing her previous record.
Looking ahead, Fatima plans to plant the same hybrid variety during the upcoming dry cropping season, this time using a mechanical rice transplanter to increase efficiency. She encourages fellow farmers to regularly inspect their fields to protect their crops from pests and diseases, emphasizing that this careful management is key to achieving higher yields.
Fatima’s experience highlights the transformative potential of hybrid rice seeds for local farmers, demonstrating how innovation and support from agricultural programs can lead to greater productivity and food security.
