The genetically engineered Malusog rice produced a record yield of 8.3 metric tons per hectare at the second planting season of the crop in Ilagan, Isabela, the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) said on Friday.
The harvest tops the previous record of 7.8 metric tons per hectare posted in the province of Maguindanao at the last crop season and measured moisture content of only 14 percent.
The Malusog variety had been engineered for optimal benefit in Vitamin A which is important for vision, the immune system, reproduction as well as growth and development of the human body.
As of end-May this year, a combined yield of 71.3 tons of Malusog rice has been harvested in 13 hectares of rice land harvested from Catanduanes, Agusan Del Sur, Agusan Del Norte, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Cagayan, Antique, Pangasinan, and Ilocos Norte.
According to PhilRice, the farm level cultivation of Malusog rice registers an average yield of four metric tons per hectare. The rest of the Malusog rice sites will be harvested this June.
One of the farmer-cooperators who planted Malusog Rice for the first time said the new type of rice is easy to grow. Expressing his support for the project, he said “This is good because it is also nutritious, and I hope the Malusog Rice project continues.”
As part of the program-based deployment of Malusog Rice, local government units are encouraged to purchase the harvest, which are then integrated into their nutrition programs.
Balungao, one of the municipalities that committed to buy back the Malusog rice harvest, is supportive of the program for its benefits.
Balungao Mayor Maria Theresa R. Peralta said, “As we see it, Malusog rice can be a big help in providing nutritional value in the diet, especially for children. This would be a great advantage if they would incorporate it in their diet.”
Selected business development units of DA-PhilRice branch stations will be selling milled Malusog Rice and made available in select local markets as part of the program’s market-based deployment approach.
