vol. v no. 2 published bi-monthly by sl agritech corp. mar-apr 2012

Myanmar to adoptSL Agritech

seed technologyPages 6

Bangladesh to importhybrid rice seeds from SL Agritech

Page 5

Brunei firm taps SL Agritech for rice,

food security

(Turn to page 5)

(Turn to page 9)

By SANNY GALVEZSL Agritech Corp., the coun-try’s leading hybrid rice seeds producer, said “despite the efforts of some of our detractors to pull us down, our firm will remain and will continue to be a force in the industry.”

“Our strength comes from our product excellence and our para-mount goal is to be an instrument in improving the lives of our farm-ers. Though our market reach has gone beyond Philippine borders, yet our foremost objective is to be

SL AGRITECH:‘We will remain and continueto be a force in the industry’

of service to our country and fellow Filipino farmers,” said Henry Lim, SL Agritech chairman and chief executive officer (CEO).

“We enjoy market leadership in hybrid seeds production because our seeds variety, notably the SL-8H, is preferred by most of our farmers due to its high-yielding performance,” Lim said in an interview at his office in Makati City recently.

According to him, no less than 60 hybrid rice farmers from all over the country -- Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela, Panga-sinan, Tarlac, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, Camarines Sur, and Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, “have scored unprecedented records in rice production never before achieved by any farmer planting the traditional inbred rice variety.”

He said their average product-ion per hectare using the SL-8H hybrid rice seed variety is 260

SL Agri-tech Corp. is scheduled to ship early this year 600 met-ric tons (MT) of hybrid rice seeds to Viet-nam. Its suc-ceeding ship-ments to that country will be

cavans. Highest was 345.6 cavans per hectare produced Severino Pa-

Shipments of hybrid rice seedsto Vietnam to reach 5,900 MT

1,000 MT in 2013; 1,500 MT in 2014; and 2,500 MT in 2015.Henry Lim, SL Agritech chairman and chief executive officer

(CEO), said by the end of 2015, Vietnam’s target area that will be planted to hybrid rice will be 14,000 hectares.

SL Agritech’s hybrid rice seeds shipment to Vietnam last year

Page 3

AFTER SIGNING OF MEMO AGREEMENT – Henry Lim, (2nd from left), chairman and CEO of SL Agritech Corp., shakes hands with Rahmon Ani-mashaun, president of the Baklang Farms in Nigeria, following the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Nigerian firm and SL Agritech. At left is Former Food Minister Jesus Tanchanco (left) and former Quezon Province Governor Eddie Rodriguez. (See story on Page 9).

HENRY Lim, chairman and CEO of SL Agritech Corp., offers a gift of “Dona Maria Jasponica” premium rice to Myanmar Union Minister U Myint Hlaing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, during a courtesy call at the latter’s office in Myanmar (formerly Burma).

GINTONG BUTIL mar-apr 20122

STAFF

SANNY GALVEZEditor

JOH E. DUNGCA Managing Editor

Contributing Writers:Rudy A. Fernandez

Jennifer Ng Carlo CaluagPhotographer

Carmina Cruz Jivin Relato

Graphic Artists

Gintong Butil is published bi-monthly by SL Agritech Corp., a division of Sterling Group of Companies, with editorial andbusiness offices at 2302 Sterling Place, Pasong Tamo Ext.,

Makati City. Telefax No. 810-1604

Conrad CariñoAnselmo Roque

Farmers are left with nothing except the sack

According to a former official of the National Food Au-thority (NFA), the agency cannot simply buy all the produce of the farmers. He said the participation of the NFA in cereal trading is very minimal compared to the volume of invest-ments poured in by private traders.

He said the participation of NFA in cereal trading is not only to stabilize the farm prices of cereals but also to prevent speculative manipulation and exploitation of farmer-producers by unscrupulous cereal traders.

Noong wala pa ang NFA, cereal trading was the preserve of private traders – a sad situation which left farmers with no choice but to sell their produce at trader-dictated prices.

Oftentimes in the past, they were forced by economic neces-sities to accept advances from the opportunist traders before the actual harvest.

Kaya nga, pagdating nang anihan, lahat halos ng kikitain ng pobreng magsasaka, ipambabayad lamang sa kanyang mga inutang sa mga mapagsamantalang mamimili ng palay. May nangyayari pa nga noon na kung sino pa ang magsasaka ay siya pang nawawalan ng maisasaing.

Sa tutuo lang, kahit hangga ngayon, nangyayari pa rin ang ganito dahil na rin sa kasalukuyang sistemang pinatutupad ng NFA.

-o0o-Some years back, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barsaga came out

with a proposal urging the government to seriously consider buying all locally-produced rice at a premium price to help local rice farmers cope with increased production cost.

According to him, rice farmers complained of low palay prices due to massive rice importation by the government. He

said it would be better for the government to buy yields from local farmers instead of purchasing rice abroad and selling it at a loss to the public through the NFA.

Okey sana ang proposal na ito ni Barsaga pero hindi rin ito nasusunod hangga ngayon. Rice importation at rice im-portation pa rin ang nagiging solusyon.

-o0o-In his recent column in the Philippine Star, former Senator

Ernesto Maceda said farmers in Nueva Ecija are complaining against a proposed increased of P350 per hectare in irrigation fees. “They say,” he said, “that it is untimely because they have not even recovered from the typhoon damage, particularly Ondoy and Pedring.”

“With the government doling out P39 billion in Condi-tional Cash Transfers, poor farmers should not be made to pay higher irrigation fees.

“The farmers are also requesting the increase of the NFA buy-ing price of palay to P20 per kilo because of the higher prices of fertilizer, farm inputs and gasoline. They say that at the present price of P17 per kilo, they are left with nothing except the sack.”

-o0o- The Philippine Star’s business section is now under the

“Roman empire.”Our good friend Roman Floresca has been appointed busi-

ness editor of the Philippine Star. Before his promotion, he was, for years, assistant business and agriculture and environment editor of the paper, the positions now occupied by Marianne V. Go who has been with The Star for many years covering the agriculture beat.

Sa inyong dalawa, belated congrats! -o0o-

I met Roman sometime in 1980 when he was covering the National Food Authority (NFA) where I worked for 13 years as editor-in-chief of its four monthly publications. Hindi siya kagaya ng ibang newsman na kumo-cover noon sa NFA na may mga kayabangan at pagkasuplado.

Simpleng tao lang siya.Before joining the Philippine Star, ang alam ko sa kanya ay

he worked for some time with Business Day, Farmers Journal, Countryside Journal, Malaya, Philippines News Agency (PNA), and with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Roman joined The Star in July, 1986, the same year Ma-nila Bulletin took me in. Umalis ako sa Bulletin in 2009 to devote my time as media consultant of SL Agritech Corp., the country’s top producer of hybrid rice seeds, and OceanaGold (Philippines), an Australian mining firm based in Makati City. Its gold-copper project is in Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya. Halos six years ko na ring hawak ang dalawang ito.

Nakasama ko rin si Roman (or Romy) sa National Press Club (NPC). Board secretary siya noon at ako naman ay director. Sa Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ), nagkasama rin kami kung saan, pareho kaming naging presidente.

Magkasama rin kami dito sa aming grupong Common-wealth Caucus na inorganize namin in 2007. Ito’y isang samahan ng mga dati at kasalukuyang mediamen at PR ex-ecutives na nagkikita-kita tuwing Biyernes sa Shakey’s sa Ever Gotesco Shopping Mall sa Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. It is a convivial coffee drinking session where we exchange banters and try to come up with solutions to the problems of the world. To be honest, hangga ngayon, wala pa kaming naso-solve kahit isa. Hehehe.

sanny galveZ

GINTONG BUTILmar-apr 2012 3

SL AGRITECH CORP. hosted a dinner over the weekend at the New World Hotel in Makati City, for the participants in a workshop-conference organized by the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines-East Asia Growth Area) Business Council Food Basket Strategy at the ADB Headquarters at the Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong City. The conference was aimed to ensure higher farm productivity through the implementation of a hybrid rice production program in the region as part of the food security project of BIMP-EAGA. Seated, from left: Dr. Santiago Obien, former food Minister Jesus Tanchanco, Henry Lim, chairman

and CEO of SL Agritech; Nizwar Syafat of San Yang Seri-Indonesia and Hadj Is-mael of Brunei Business Council. Standing, same order: Agus Suharjoto of San Yang Seri-Indonesia; Rusali Sapar and Mat Rusli Bakar of the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam; Raphael Gondion of the Sabah Dept of Agriculture, Malaysia; Dr. Frisco Malabnan, SL Agritech techni-cal consultant; Bachu Pasaka and Hj Aziz of Sabah Dept. of Agriculture, Malaysia; Prof. Zhang Zhaodong, SL Agritech vice president for research and development; and Ferdinand Gamorot of the Department of Agriculture, Philippines.

dinner hosted For conFab participants

By MARIANNE V. GO

The Mashhor Group of Com-panies has tapped SL Agritech to help the oil-rich sultanate reduce its import dependency on rice and improve its food security.

In an interview with reporters over the weekend, SL Agritech

chairman and CEO Henry Lim revealed that the Mashhor Group wants to develop their own hy-brid rice production and reduce their 97 percent dependency on imported rice.

Lim said Brunei wants to produce its own hybrid rice and is allocating up to 20,000 hectares to produce its own food staple.

He added that SL Agritech could help them in their food security program even though the sultanate’s population is less than half a million.

The Mashhor Group, estab-lished in 1972, has investments in transportation, oil and gas, engineering, construction, fab-rication, information technology and waste management.

According to Lim, the Mash-

hor Group is now also investing in agribusiness.

Meanwhile, Lim said SL Ag-ritech is eyeing either the fourth quarter of this year, or the first quarter of next year to undertake its planned initial public offering (IPO).

Lim admitted that SL Agri-tech is optimistic of a better finan-cial performance for its fiscal year ending May this year compared to last year to show before it takes on its IPO.

Lim was also heartened by

the Department of Agriculture’s decision to open up to hybrid rice.

He said farmers may now avail of a P400-million loan as-sistance program from the Land Bank of the Philippines that will

for those who opt to grow hybrid rice, and up to P37,000 for those who opt to grow certified rice.

Agriculture Secretary Pro-ceso Alcala clarified that the DA has always left the choice of either using certified or hybrid

allow rice growers to loan as much as P42,000 per hectare

seeds to farmers. (Reprinted from Philippine Star)

Brunei firm taps SL Agritech for rice, food security

GINTONG BUTILmar-apr 2012 5

ALSO AMONG THOSE who witnessed the signing of the agreement are (stand-ing, from left): Jenny Ng, Business Mirror; Othel Campos, Manila Standard; Marriane Go, Philippine Star; Rizza Olchondra, Philippine Daily Inquirer; Louie Desiderio, Business World and Sanny Galvez, SL Agritech media consultant.

‘We will remain...yumo, a 70-year-old farmer from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. The average yield of farmers planting the traditional inbred rice variety is only about 70 to 80 cavans per hectare.

Lim at the same time ex-pressed optimism that “in the foreseeable future, our country will become self-sufficient in rice as more and more of our farm-ers are planting the high-yielding hybrid rice variety.”

“It has been proven that farm-ers planting hybrid seeds will not only double or triple their harvest but will also dramatically increase their income, compared to their production when they plant the traditional inbred seeds variety,”

(From page 1)he said, as he urged the massive propagation of hybrid rice as part of the government’s effort to achieve self-sufficiency of the cereal.

Encouraged by the ben-efits of hybrid rice technology, seven Asian countries are already adopting the high-yielding SL Agritech’s SL-8H hybrid seeds technology. They are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myan-mar (formerly Burma), Bru-nei Darussalam, Malaysia and Vietnam, where the Philippines imports billions of pesos worth of rice every year. Nigeria, consid-ered the most populated country in Africa, is also using the firm’s hybrid rice technology.

HYBRID RICE PARTNERSHIP – Officials of the state-owned Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corp. (BADC) and SL Agritech Corp. signed a partnership agreement to expand the production of hybrid rice in Bangladesh. At the signing ceremony are (seated, from left) Bangladesh Agriculture Additional Secretary Quazi Ahktar Hossain, SL Agritech Chairman and CEO Henry Lim, and Bangladesh Agriculture Ministry Additional Secretary and concurrent BADC Chairman Dr. S.M. Nazmul Islam. Also in photo are Dr. Frisco Malabanan, SL Agritech technical consultant; Joseph Lim, president and chief operating officer (COO) of Sterling Paper Group of Companies; Jesus Tanchanco, former food minister and two officials of BADC.

SL AgriTechexpanding seed production in

BAngLAdeSh

Bangladesh, one of the world’s biggest rice consuming countries, is importing more hy-brid rice seeds from SL Agritech Corp. to meet its growing demand for the cereal.

Bangladesh Agricultural De-velopment Corp. (BADC) Chair-man Dr. S.M. Nazmul Islam, who is also the additional secretary (equivalent to undersecretary) of the Bangladesh Ministry of

Agriculture (BMA) was here last year together with two other officials of BADC, to discuss with Henry Lim, SL Agritech chairman and CEO, his country’s plan to expand the production of hybrid rice as its population “is growing every year and all these things about climate change.”

Lim said Dr. Nazmul was also here in 2009,together with Ahm Monirul Haque, BADC manager for seed production, to sign a partnership agreement with SL Agritech whereby " we will export our high-yielding SL-8H parental seeds to Bangladesh and this will be expanded by middle of this year."

A small country with just half the area of the Philippines and with a population of 160 million, which is more than the population of the Philippines, Bangladesh envisions to expand SL-8H seeds production to 5,000 tons by 2014 from the present 700 tons.

According to Dr. Nazmul, Bangladesh farmers planting the SL-8H are very happy with their produce using the SL Agritech hybrid seed technology. “And that is precisely the reason why we want to expand the production of the SL-8 hybrid seeds variety,” he said.

GINTONG BUTIL6

MYAnMAr TO AdOPT SL AgriTech Seed Tech

Myanmar (formerly Burma) will initially cultivate early this year SL-8H hybrid rice seeds at its 500-acre or 202 hectares, in East Dagon town in Yangon region.

This was learned from Henry Lim, chairman and chief execu-tive officer (CEO) of SL Agritech Corp. who was in Myanmar recently to discuss with its agri-culture officials its plan to utilize his firm’s hybrid seed technol-ogy to boost its food production program.

“Myanmar will later on im-port parental seeds from us – this is another of our high-yielding F1 seed variety -- for planting in their 50,000-acre (20,234 hectares) rice farms,” Lim said, as he lauded Myanmar’s great interest to adopt his firm’s hybrid seed technology.

Upon his arrival in the coun-try, Lim paid a courtesy call on Union Minister U Myint Hlaing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. Also on hand to meet Lim’s party were Deputy Ministers for Agriculture and Irrigation U Ohn Than and U Khin Zaw.

The day’s event was high-lighted by the signing of a Pub-lic-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between the Interna-tional Sun Moon Star Agriculture Co., Ltd. of Myanmar and SL

Agritech Corp. Under the agreement, Myan-

mar will proceed with the initial production of the SL-8H hybrid rice variety at its 500 acres of land in Yangon region adopting SL Agritech’s high-yielding hy-brid rice technology.

Lim was accompanied in his

week-long visit to Myanmar by Prof. Zhang Zhaodong and Dr. Weijun Xu, SL Agritech vice president for research and de-velopment and vice president for international operation, respectively, who also briefed Myanmar agriculture officials on hybrid seeds technology.

Minister U Myint Hlaing’s was in the Philippines last No-vember with four of his Minis-try’s officials where he discussed with Lim his plan to import SL Agritech’s high-yielding hybrid seeds variety.

Lim’s meeting with Minis-ter U Myint Hlaing was held at the SL Agritech’s research and demo (R&D) farm in Barangay Oogong in Sta.Cruz, Laguna, where the Myanmar agriculture official was briefed on the firm’s nationwide operation.

Six other Asian countries, namely Cambodia, Brunei Da-russalam, Indonesia, Bangla-desh, and Vietnam, where the Philippines has been importing billions of pesos worth of rice every year since 1987, have been adopting SL Agritech’s hybrid rice technology to boost their food sufficiency programs. Nige-ria likewise, which is considered the most populated country in Africa with over 140 million people, is also using SL Agri-tech’s rice technology.

HENRY LIM (7th from left), chairman and CEO of SL Ag-ritech Corp.; Dr. Weijun Zu (4th from left), and Prof. Zhang Zhaodong, SL Agritech vice president for international op-erations and vice president for research and development,

respectively, during a courtesy call on Myammar Union Minister U Myint Hlaing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. Also in photo are the Deputy Ministers for Agriculture and Irrigation U Ohn Than and U Khin Zaw.

MYANMAR Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation U Myint Hlaing (2nd from right, seated) as he is being briefed by rice scientist Dr. Weijun Xu, SL Agritech vice president for international operation, during his visit late last year at the SL Agri-tech’s hybrid rice seeds demonstration farm in Barangay Masapang in Laguna. Also in photo are Henry Lim (2nd from left, standing), Prof. Zhang Zhaodong (far right), vice president for research and development; and John Ba Maw (left) who was with Minister U’s party.

7GINTONG BUTIL

La Paz, Tarlac -- Governor Victor Yap has urged farmers here “to work doubly hard to boost our farm productivity and income.”

In a brief talk at a hybrid rice festival sponsored by SL Agri-tech Corp., Gov. Yap said “there is apparent need for all of us to keep abreast with the various technological approaches and to be continuously in search of new and better systems towards increased food productivity.”

During the same occasion, Mayor Michael Manuel expressed high hopes that by embracing the new hybrid rice technology, “our farmers will substantially increase their production and income, so much so that it will become our stepping stone towards the im-provement of our community and people.”

A m o n g t h o s e p r e s e n t during the festival, which has for its theme “Mula sa Kawalan Tu-ngo sa Kaunlaran,” and attended by over 350 farmers and com-munity leaders, were Henry Lim, SL Agritech chairman and CEO, former Food Minister and NFA Adminsitrator Jesus Tanchanco, Fr. Ed dela Torre, representing Agriculture Secretary Proceso Al-cala; San Isidro Barangay Captain Rogelio Pingol; Jesusa Noveda,

CEREMONIAL THRESHING— From left: La Paz, Tarlac Mayor Michael Manuel; Fr. Ed dela Torre of the Department of Agriculture; Henry Lim, SL Agritech Corp. chairman and CEO, and farmers in Barangay San Isidro, as they witness the ceremonial threshing of the newly-harvested SL-8H hybrid rice at the three-hectare farm of Alfredo Magdangal, during a hybrid rice festival sponsored by SL Agritech.

gOV. YAP TO FArMerS:‘Work doubly hard to boost

farm productivity and income’municipal agriculturist;

Dr. Edwina Tabamo, provin-cial agriculturist; DA-RFU 3 Chief Operation Officer Benjie Baltazar, Dr. Frisco Malabanan; Dr. Noel Mamicpic; Prof. Zhang Zhaodong,

Dr. Weijun Xu; Josie Farnacio; Imelda Reyes and Rene Villareal of Metrobank; Dona Lim, Joh Dungca, Ric Urbino of the DA and Alfredo Magdangal, a farmer cooperator.

SL Agritech has been holding

hybrid rice festivals since 2007 in towns and provinces to promote the hybrid rice technology.

Lim said several Asian coun-tries have already been using his firm’s rice technology – Myanmar,

Cambodia, Brunei, Nigeria, Ma-laysia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, where, he said “we import billions of pesos worth of rice every year.”

“This is the irony,” he said, adding: “Ang malungkot, mismo dito sa atin, hindi ito nabibigyan

ng gaanong pansin ng ating pa-mahalaan, kundi marahil ngayon na lamang.”

“Ang Kenya, isa rin sa may pinakamalaking populasyon sa Africa, ay nagpahayag na rin ng

kanilang layuning umangkat ng aming hybrid seeds,” Lim said.

This writer has interviewed several farmers present at the affair and they said they were very happy their palay harvest has increased since they started to use the SL-8H hybrid seeds.

“Malalaki ang aming inaani magmula nang kami ay gumamit ng hybrid. Mahigit doble sa dati naming tinatanim na inbred na umaabot lamang ng 70 hanggang 80 cabanes kada ektarya. Balita nga namin na sa Nueva Ecija, at sa iba pang lugar, umaabot sa 230 hanggang 250 cabanes kada ektarya ang kanilang inaani sa hybrid. Aabutin din namin ‘yan dahil sa ngayon, nakaaani na kami ng 180 hanggang 200 cabanes kada ektarya, ” they said. (Sanny Galvez)

..several Asian countries

have already been using

the firm’s rice technology

– Myanmar, Cambodia,

Brunei, Nige-ria, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam

Tarlac Gov. Victor Yap (4th from left), poses for a souvenir photo with Henry Lim (3rd from left) and La Paz Mayor Michael Manuel (4th from right), during a hybrid rice harvest festival held last March 9 in Bgy. San Isidro, La Paz, Tarlac. Others in photo are (from left), Benjie Baltazar, chief operation of DA-RFU 3; Jesusa Noveda, municipal agriculturist; Fr. Ed dela Torre, Edwina Tabamo, provincial agriculturist and former Food Minister Jess Tanchanco.

GINTONG BUTILmar-apr 2012 9

Shipments of hybrid rice seeds

to Vietnam...

totaled 240 MT. This month, it is sending another 60 MT to that country to complete its seeds de-livery for 2011 to 300 MT.

Lim said the rice seeds ship-ments are in pursuant to the 2010 agreement entered into by his firm and Dai Thanh Agritech Seed Co. of Vietnam.

Vietnam, one of the world’s biggest rice producers where the Philippines has been importing billions of pesos worth of rice the past many years, is the seventh Asian country to adopt SL Agri-tech’s hybrid rice seed technology.

“Ang Vietnam ay pang-pito ng bansa sa Asya na gumagamit na ng aming hybrid rice technology. Ang iba ay ang Cambodia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Brunei Darus-salam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, at Malaysia.” Lim said.

“If the government will not act now and adapt the hybrid rice technology, it will not be surpris-ing later for us to be importing the cereal from these same countries,” he said.

The continuous use of inbred rice variety which produces only about 75 to 80 cavans per hectare as compared to hybrid rice pro-duction which averages 250 to 270 cavans per hectare, “will not bring us to the rice sufficiency level that we need. It will necessitate an ex-pansion of our available rice land which we no longer have,” he said.

Lim said Asian countries are cultivating a total of 52 million hectares of rice land. They are, he said, Indonesia, which has 11 million hectares; Bangladesh, 10 million; Vietnam, seven’ and Myanmar, six; while the Philip-pines is cultivating only three mil-lion hectares of rice lands. China and India have 42 and 32 million hectares, respectively.

Nigeria, considered the most populated country in Africa with 140 million people, has likewise been adopting SL Agritech’s hy-brid rice technology.

(From page 1)

And now, it's KenYA

An official of a rice firm in Kenya, South Africa was in Ma-nila over the weekend to negotiate with SL Agritech Corp. to adopt the latter’s hybrid rice technology.

John Kimingi, director of Hyrice Company in Kenya, met

with Henry Lim, chairman and CEO of SL Agritech, to express his desire to utilize its hybrid rice technology.

“According to Mr. Kimingi, he has long been contacting, through the internet, rice producers from Brazil, India, Thailand and the Philippines and what attracted him most, he said, was the hybrid seeds produced by our firm which is the SL-8H variety.”

During Kimingi’s week-long stay here, Lim toured him to a hybrid rice production site of SL Agritech in Nueva Ecija where the Kenyan rice businessman saw for himself thousands of hectares of the soon-to-be harvested hybrid rice.

“Mr. Kimingi was, shall I say, so impressed with what he saw, as we briefed him on our hybrid rice production technology,” Lim said, adding that “Mr. Kimingi had promised to be back in Ma-nila soon to formalize his firm’s intention to adopt our production process.”

Other countries presently adopting SL Agritech’s hybrid rice technology are Cambodia, Myan-mar (formerly Burma), Brunei Da-russalam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Vietnam where the Philippines has been importing billions of pesos worth of rice since 1987.

Nigeria, which is considered the most populated country in Af-rica with over 150 million people, is also using SL Agritech’s hybrid rice technology.

Lim said that most of Kenya’s rice fields are planted with inbred rice. “Hybrid rice seeds has not been introduced in Kenya where

rice is the third most important staple food, after maize (corn) and wheat,” he said.

Kenya’s economy largely depends on the agricultural sector. About 75 percent of Kenyans owe their livelihood

to agriculture. Other than agri-production, the sector boasts of comparatively wide range of manufacturing industries, with food processing being the largest single activity.

LIM WITH MR. KIMINGI.

Nigeria’s rice firm signsaccord with SL Agritech

The Baklang Farms in Nigeria in Africa, an indigenous com-pany with interest in agriculture, signed recently a memorandum of agreement with SL Agritech Corp. to utilize the latter’s hybrid rice technology to increase production and meet its growing demand for the cereal.

The agreement was signed by Henry Lim, SL Agritech chair-man and chief executive officer (CEO) and Rahmon Animashaun, Baklang Farms president.

Under the agreement, the Baklang Farms will initially plant the SL-8 and AxR seed varieties at its 100-hectare seed production sites in Lagos and Kwara. Of this, 90 hectares, using the SL-8 seed variety, will be devoted for commercial production and ten hectares for the production of the AxR seed variety.

Lim said SL Agritech will send its technical team to Negeria to extend technology support.

Animashaun was in the Philippines in 2010 during which he talked with Lim regarding his desire to utilize the SL Agritech hybrid rice technology.

Back home in Nigeria, Animashaun conducted a pilot test of SL Agritech’s SL-8 seed variety in three selected sites in Shonga, Lade and Patigi and the result, he said, was “very satisfactory.”

Agriculture is vital battleground in war against hunger, social upheaval

By SANNY GALVEZThe number of hungry peo-ple in the world remains high at 800 million, and the goals of governments to reduce it by half by the year 2015 will not be reached because the current rate of progress is too slow.

We can see from the report of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that despite the great strides in science and technology, hunger and famine have overtaken many parts of the globe. The world has

reached the age when popula-tion growth has outpaced food production.

“The situation facing the world today is not a threat to the viability of our economy but also a test of our ability as a nation to withstand pressure of survival,” according former food minister Jesus Tanchanco.

The world today, he said, is ridden with too many crisis. “Each nation is fighting her kind of war – be it political, military or economic. No one is spared in the struggle, whether as a nation or as individuals.”

Agriculture, he said, is the vital battleground in the war against hunger and social up-heaval.

“ Our country will never

prosper unless we give agricul-ture the highest priority in our national recovery agenda,” said Tanchanco, who was also former administrator of the National Food Authority (NFA).

He lamented that efforts to provide the Filipino with ample rice have been characterized by importations to supplement local production.

“However, we are convinced

that importations, which cost us billions of pesos every year, can be easily done away with if we will exert determined and sustained efforts to develop our grains industry,” Tanchanco said in an interview, as he expressed optimism that “there may come a time when we will no longer have to import the cereal.”

He said farmers growing the ordinary rice varieties can increase their yields many times more if they use hybrid seeds and the latest farming technology.

“Marami ng bansa dito sa Asia, such as Cambodia, Myan-mar (formerly Burma), Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malay-sia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, kung saan dito tayo nag-iimport ng bilyon-bilyong piso ng bigas

at pati na rin ang Nigeria, ang gumagamit na rin ng hybrid rice technology para lalu pang pamal-aki nila ang kanilang inaaning palay. At ang teknolohiyang ‘yan ay galing mismo dito sa ating bansa – sa SL Agritech Corp.,” Tanchanco said.

He said the successful story of hybrid rice in China has sparked its ambition to attain rice sufficiency through hybrid technology.

“To fully develop agriculture and invigorate its rural economy, China, considered the most populous nation on planet earth, has popularized advance science and technology which today,

has not only substantially raised its food production but has also improved the living standards of its farmers, he said.

“This was the result of the successful implementation of

hybrid rice production technol-ogy in China which enabled it to feed over 1.3 billion people and still be in a position to export its surplus in the world market,” Tanchanco said.

Hybrid rice technology, he said, “is one of the key technolo-gies that can make the Philip-pines self-sufficient in rice. Local farmers growing the ordinary

inbred rice seeds variety can increase their yields and income many times more if they use the hybrid seeds and the latest farming technology,” Tanchanco added.

'Hybrid rice technology is one of the key

technologies that can make the Philippines self-sufficient in rice.

TANCHANCO

GINTONG BUTIL mar-apr 201210

SA KABUKIRANNi JOH DUNGCA

GINTONG BUTILmar-apr 2012 11

na matulungan ang mga bagong magsasaka na gustong gumamit ng binhing SL-8H sa pamamagitan ng pagtuturo ng tamang pamamaraaan ng pagpapasibol at pagpapatubo ng nasabing binhi.

Ayon pa din kay Lim, maaring iwanan sa SGC ng magsasaka ang binili niyang binhi sa municipal agriculture office (MAO) o sa sinumang dealer ng SL-8H at babalikan na lamang niya ito pag sumi-bol na at maari na itong isabog sa punlaan. Huwag na huwag niyang kalimutang itanong sa sinumang SGC technician kung kailan niya

SL Agritech, nagtayo ng Seed Germination Center sa N.E.

(Mula sa pahina 12)

Ang mga magsasaka sa karatig bayan ng Guimba, Sta Rosa at San Jose ay bumibisita rin sa SGC hindi lamang para mag patulong sa pagpapasibol ng binhi kundi upang matutunan din ang teknolohiya sa pagtatanim ng SL-8H hybrid rice seed variety.

Dahil sa magandang pagtangkilik sa SGC ay binabalak ng SL Agritech na magtayo pa ng tatlong SGC sa bawat distrito ng Nueva Ecija at pati na rin sa Region 1 and 2 sa susunod na cropping season.

ito dapat nang isabog sa punlaan.

Simula ng binuk-san ang center noong December, ay marami na itong natulungang mga magsasaka . Marami na ding mga bagong magssaka ang sumubok na mag-tanim ng SL-8H dahil sa assistance na ito na binigay ng kumpanya.

HYBRID RICE SEEDS DONATION -- Farmers in Isabela who were victims of last year’s typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel,” were the recipients of 200 bags of SL-8H hybrid rice seeds from the Philip-pine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCCI) and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). They are in addition to the 600 bags of the same palay seeds variety the two orga-nizations donated last year to farmers in Nueva Ecija who were also victims of the two typhoons. The ceremonial seeds distribution, held at

the Coconut Palace on Roxas Blvd. last Feb. 12, was headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay (4th from right) with (from left) PCCCI Vice President Oscar Chua, PCCCI Chairman Sergio Ortiz Luis, Isabela Vice Governor Rodolfo Albano III, PCCCI President Lino Sy, Isabela Governor Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, Vice President Binay, SL Agritech Chairman and CEO Henry Lim, ECOP President Ed Lacson and PCCI Chairman Emeritus Francis Chua.

SALES CONFAB Shown here are the officers and members of the SL Agritech sales and market ing staff assigned in the different parts of the country, fol-lowing their plan-ning conference last February 9 to 11 in Makati City. Bong Cerdana (left), vice presi-dent, rice division of SL Agritech, c o n d u c t e d t h e three-day confab.

SA KABUKIRANNi JOH DUNGCA

SL Agritech, nagtayo ng Seed Germination Center sa N.E.

KAHIT TAG-ULAN AT BAGYOSL-8H hybrid rice ang tinanimumani ng 105 kabanes/ektarya

Ni JOH DUNGCAMadaling tinanggap ng mag-sasakang si Rodolfo Payog ang hamon ng kanyang mga kasa-mahang magsasaka sa Barangay

embro ng Philippine National Police na ngayon ay barangay captain sa kanilang pook.

Sa panayam kamakailan ng Gintong Butil kay Mang Rudy, sinabi niyang “hindi ako nagkamali dahil nakapag-ani pa rin ako ng 105 kabanes sa aking isang ektaryang bukid. At sa mga kasamahang kong magsasaka na dati pa ring uri ng palay ang kanilang tinanim, ang kanilang inani sa panahong tag-ulan, ay umabot lamang sa 50 kabanes kada isang ektarya.”

Ayon kay Mody Flores, marketing consultant ng SL Agritech Corp., ang prodyuser ng kilalang SL-8H hybrid rice seeds, marami na ring magsasaka sa Nueva Ecija ang nagtatanim ng nasabing SL-8H kung pana-hon ng tag-ulan at lalu na nga kung panahon ng tag-araw na ang pangkaraniwang inaani ay umaabot sa 260 kabanes kada isang ektarya.

"Ang labis na kinagulat ko noon, nataon pa naman na du-

maan ang dalawang bagyo sa Nueva Ecija--si "Pedring" at si "Quiel" --pero yun nga, hindi dumapa ang aking pananim ka-hit pa nga malalakas ang hangin at ang pagbaha," dugtong pa ni Mang Rudy.

Binanggit ni Flores ang ilan sa mga magsasaka sa Nueva Ecija at sa ibang probinsya na nakapag-aani ng 250 hanggang 350 kabanes kada isang ektarya.

Cavite sa Guimba, Nueva Ecija, na magtanim ng binhing SL-8H hybrid rice noong nakaraang tag-ulan.

“Tinanggap ko ang kanilang hamon para na rin masubukan kung tutuo o hindi na mas malaki pa rin ang aking aanihin sa pag-tatanim ng hybrid rice kaysa sa inbred rice variety na mas maliit ang inaani lalu na kung panahon ng tag-ulan mo itatanim,” ito ang sagot ni Payog, retiradong miy-

Sinabi ni Payog na siya at ang kanyang asawa ay “talagang nagulat sa laki pa rin ng aking inani bagama’t panahon nga nang tag-ulan noong ako’y mag-tanim ng ganyang uri (SL-8H) ng palay. Ang sabi pa nga ng aking asawa ay bakit ngayon ko lang naisipang magtanim ng SL-8H.”

Nagtatag ang SL Agritech Corp. noong nakaraang Disyembre ng isang Seed Germination Center (SGC) sa barangay ng San Leonardo sa Nueva Ecija.

Ayon kay Henry Lim, chairman at chief executive officer (CEO) ng SL Agritech Corp., layunin ng seed germination center na ito

(Sundan sa pahina 11)

KUHA ang larawang ito nang bumisita sa tanggapan ni Henry Lim (pangatlo sa kaliwa) sa SL Agritech sa Makati City, si John Kimingi (pang-apat mula sa kaliwa), presidente ng Hyrice Company sa Kenya, South Afri-ca. Ang mga nasa larawan (mula sa kaliwa) ay mga opisyales ng SL Agritech Corp., na sina Joh Dungca, advertising/promotions senior manager; Brian Lim, rice divisions manager; Dr. Noel Mamicpic, vice president for quality control; at si Dona Lim, assistant vice president, supply chain.

PAYOG