Rice program boosts ties with Philippines

Manila looks to Chinese expertise in hybrid strains

A rice-breeding program between China and the Philippines, although not as widely publicized as big-ticket infrastructure projects, has become one of the most significant hallmarks of the two countries' cooperation.

China is the world's pioneer in hybrid rice technology, which allows the country to feed its growing population despite the fact that the nation has only 7 percent of the world's arable land.

It has promoted the technology to other countries, including the Philippines.

Hybrid rice is produced by the cross-pollination of two varieties, with the product of this crossbreeding being a high-yielding seed. Some of these hybrid varieties are also resistant to pests and diseases.

For nearly two decades, the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology, or PhilSCAT, has been testing and developing high-yielding rice varieties. According to experts, cultivating hybrid seeds is one of the ways in which the Philippines can attain its goal of national rice self-sufficiency.

Emmanuel Sicat, the center's director, said, "We want to develop hybrid seed varieties to help farmers increase their harvests."

The center is based in the northern Philippine province of Nueva Ecija - the country's rice granary. It was established in 2000 through a $5 million grant from China, with the Philippine government providing an estimated $2.9 million.

Last year, China committed to extending a 27.52 million yuan ($3.93 million) grant to PhilSCAT, according to the Philippine Department of Finance. This agreement was sealed through an exchange of letters on the sidelines of the annual Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province.

Sicat said PhilSCAT has developed four varieties that have passed the Philippine rice cooperative tests and are ready for the market.

One of the best-known of these is Mestiso 38, which has the potential to produce 12 metric tons of rice per hectare - three times the Philippine national average.

Sicat said that in addition to developing its own varieties, PhilSCAT has identified parental varieties from China that are suitable for Philippine soil.