BAUKO, MT. Province and MAYOYAO, IFUGAO – The Regional Training Center of the Agricultural Training in the Cordillera Administrative Region (ATI-RTC-CAR), in partnership with the DA’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), intensifies its information campaign through the conduct of a Technical Briefing on the Golden Rice and Balanced Fertilization Strategy in Bauko, Mt. Province and in Mayoyao, Ifugao on April 11-12, 2023. Twenty-two farmer-participants gathered in Ramon Calde’s Learning Site while twenty-one Farmer-Participants gathered at the Municipal Agriculture Office in Poblacion, Mayoyao, Ifugao of the said technical briefing.
According to Mr. Fernado D. Garcia, Asst. Branch Director and at the same time the Golden Rice Field Test Supervisor of PhilRice-Isabela said that Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta carotene. The DA-PhilRice named this new variety as the Malusog Rice. The Malusog Rice is developed through genetic engineering by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to contain additional levels of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Also, Malusog Rice can provide up to 50 percent of the estimated average requirement (EAR) for vitamin A of young children, the age group most susceptible to VAD in the Philippines. The Malusog rice has undergone careful study by experts in science and has passed tests conducted by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Health Canada, and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
The beta carotene in Malusog Rice, which was made possible by the addition of two new enzymes, is identical to the beta-carotene found in green leafy and yellow-colored vegetables, orange-colored fruit, and even in many vitamin supplements and food ingredients. Like ordinary rice, the Malusog Rice does not require any special cultivation practices, and generally has the same yield and agronomic performance.
Concerning fertilizers, Mr. Edwin Dicksen, Agriculturist II of the Regional Training Center of the Agricultural Training Institute in the Cordillera Administrative Region said that the Philippines is dependent on the importation of inorganic fertilizers since we do not have enough resources to produce the fertilizer that can supply the country. Due to the increase in fertilizer prices, the Department of Agriculture launched the Balanced Fertilization Strategy (BFS) Program, this pushes for the use of combined organic and inorganic inputs and other forms of strategy to attain the maximum potential of farmlands while promoting balanced fertilization in maintaining soil fertility. The said strategy applies the concept of the 4Rs in fertilization: Right Source, Right Placement, Right Amount, and Right Rate to help enhance soil health and productivity, prevent the decline in soil fertility, and improve fertilizer availability and costs. He said that the BFS Program is seen to enhance the agricultural production landscape with improved soil structure, and the judicious use of fertilizers towards a food–secure and resilient Philippine agricultural industry, with empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk. With the current issue of the rising prices of inorganic fertilizer in the market, BFS is one of the emerging technologies that are timely in addressing this issue. Other technologies include Soil Analysis (which is the best way to analyze what really is lacking or what kind of fertilizer recommendation for a certain farm), the MOET, LCC, and Soil Test Kit.
Part of the technical briefing is an orientation regarding the Agricultural Training Institute including its programs, projects, and activities.
