By JUNE S. BLANCO

QUEZON CITY – Rep. Erico Aumentado (2 nd District, Bohol) has urged the provincial government to embrace rice hybridization in order to sustain the 113% rice self sufficiency harvest in 2008 when the hybrid variety was earnestly propagated. The solon made the appeal after receiving the report of the Department of Agriculture Region 7 (DA 7) that Bohol registered a rice self sufficiency of 76.17% only in 2011. In a text message to Gov. Edgar Chatto, the legislator said, “Pare, I am sad per DA report during my meeting with the regional directors last week in Cebu, Bohol’s rice self sufficiency was 76.17% due we concentrate more on inbred rice seeds instead of hybrid. I wish we can work together to sustain our 113% rice self sufficiency in 2008. I am pushing SL8 AND SL11 in the 2 nd district. Please call me when you are in Manila so we can discuss collaborative effort for the good of Bohol.”

He followed up with another text message saying: “Do not believe in canard I am running for governor. My interest now is to help the Aquino mantra against corruption and good governance thru the righteous path and your administration attain rice self sufficiency and success for the good of Bohol.” Chatto was reported  to have responded by way of thanking the congressman and that he is validating data with agencies who provided him the 2011 figures earlier of Bohol’s rice self sufficiency. To note, Administrator Antonio Nangel of the National Irrigation Administration is also pushing for the rice hybridization program Aumentado’s district through the “plant hybrid rice and fertilize now, pay later and the rice ratooning” program initiated by the solon to boost the country’s rice production.

In 2008, the rice self sufficiency in Bohol reached a high of 113%. It dropped to 108% in 2009 due to the El Nino phenomenon. Since the 2 nd district is the main beneficiary of the Bohol Irrigation Project Stages 1 and 2, the Capayas and the Ilaya Small Reservoir Irrigation Facilities, the solon launched the two rice production boosting projects involving the private sector and government agencies in a collaborative effort. Aumentado started the ratooning program with a subsidy from his Priority Assistance Development Fund (PDAF) in 540 hectares of rice land in 2011 and increased the area to 1,100 of rice land being subsidized with urea fertilizer. The target in 2013 is about 3,000 hectares of rice land to be ratooned with an outlay of P3 million from his PDAF.

Meanwhile, it was learned that Rep. Arthur Yap (3 rd district, Bohol) has also pushed for the hybridization of rice production in his district. In fact, he piloted the high yielding SL8 and SL11 hybrid rice in Lila town where he sponsored a rice festival during the last harvest season.