More rice farmers have increased their average yields by one ton per hectare or more through the high-quality seeds they received under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program.

Flordeliza Bordey, director of the RCEF Program Management Office at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), said on Thursday that the yield increase is due to farmers’ adoption of the certified seeds, which they received repeatedly for at least seven cropping seasons through the program.

Bordey said based on studies, the use of certified seeds can increase yields by 10 percent or more.

“Certified seeds are relatively pure, have fewer weed seeds, free from visible seed-borne diseases, full and uniform in size, and have at least 85 percent germination rate,” she said in a statement.

Bordey said some of the high-yielding and location-specific varieties distributed by the program include NSIC Rc 216, Rc 222, Rc 402, and Rc 160.

In the province of Aurora, provincial agriculturist Arnold Novicio said their yields rose from 3.5 to 4.5 to 5 tons per hectare.

“Ten years ago, ang ani sa Aurora ay nasa 60-70 kaban lamang. Ngayon sa tulong ng PhilRice at RCEF, umaabot na tayo sa 90-100 kaban. Dahil sa mga binhi na ipinamimigay sa ating mga magsasaka, tayo ay umuusad na (the yields of Aurora was only about 69-70 cavans. But now, with the help of PhilRice and RCEF, our yields reach to 90-100 cavans. Because of the seeds being distributed to our farmers, we are now improving),” Novicio said in an interview.

Aurora is one of the provinces in Central Luzon that continuously receives quality rice seeds through the RCEF program. For the 2024 dry season, more than 9,000 sacks of quality seeds will be distributed to the province.

Aside from Aurora, Bordey said most of the 42 target provinces of the RCEF Seed Program have also attained higher yields.

“The target provinces of the RCEF Seed Program are low and medium-yielding. Given their environmental and socio-economic capacities, they have a higher potential to adopt inbred certified seeds,” she said.

The RCEF-Seed Program is a component of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, which allots a PHP10 billion fund every year for rice farmers.

Sponsored by Senator Cynthia Villar, the program is a six-year government initiative to help farmers improve their competitiveness.

PhilRice leads its implementation, in partnership with the local government units and lawmakers. (PNA)