Bayer pushes for rice farming efficiency and food security, joins 16th NRTF

Bayer CropScience participated in this year’s National Rice Technology Forum held at Hagonoy, Davao del Sur from September 19-21, 2023. The 16th NRTF, with its recurrent theme “Increasing Rice Productivity through Modern Rice Technology, Geared Towards Farmer’s Prosperity”, was attended by more than 900 participants from different regions across the Philippines and neighboring countries. Farmers, technicians from seed, machinery, and soil nutrition companies, major agriculture industry players, and PhilRice staff were among the attendees. 

The forum was led by private sector Rice Board, in collaboration with the National Rice Program of the Department of Agriculture as well as the local government of Davao del Sur and the municipality of Hagonoy.

During the course of three-day event, a series of activities were organized, including farm visits, technology forum, techno market, exhibits, and field tour of hybrid rice demos.

“We’re participating in this annual National Rice Technology Forum to showcase the technology and the products of what Bayer has to offer to our farmers. We’re taking this opportunity annually to make sure that that farmers get to know, be familiar, and at least be able to witness by themselves the products—superior technology that we are offering to our farmer constituents,” says Erwin Vibal, Bayer’s Grower Marketing Lead. 

Farmers and other attendees had a closer look at the performance of Arize® Bigante Plus during the walking field tour. At Bayer’s booth, Arize® varities—AZ 8433 DT, AZ 7888, HaBilis® Plus, and Bigante® Plus were on display alongside the package of technologies that the company offers. This includes Nativo®, a fungicide that promises heavier and cleaner grains, and Yeoval®, one of Bayer’s newest fungicides known for its broad-spectrum control against stemborers. 

The attendees had the chance to play exciting games and partake in raffle draws inside Bayer’s booth where more than Php 40,000-worth of prizes were given away.

According to Rice Board President Recher Ondap who is also Bayer’s Key Account Manager for Government and Industrial, the National Rice Technology Forum is the coming together of various technology providers where they showcase the products and services that can aid the farmers in their farming business. “Ito ay isang pamamaraan na talagang maipapabot natin sa ating mga magsasaka ng palay yung mga bagong teknolohiya. Ang concept is…kung each of the company will do it, pwede naman. But we found na [mas efficient] kung organized tayo, nagkakaisa yung mga technology-providers to conduct [an event] with a bigger audience [featuring] the technologies.” 

[NRTF is an event where we can present rice farmers the different existing technologies that can assist them in their farming business. There’s nothing wrong if each of the companies will have a separate event on their own. However, we found that if we have an organized event where these technology-providers come together, we’re able to have a wider reach; gather a larger audience.]

Aside from this, Ondap mentions that the other reason is that aside from the farmers, the local government and the municipal agricultural office will be made aware of the existing technologies and thus, help the companies promote their offerings that may potentially increase the farmers’ yield and income. “That is our mission—to increase the production with lower input costs, leading to higher income. At the end of the day, what we basically strive for is food security; for these families to have sufficient food on their table,” says Ondap. 

Country Commercial Lead Iiinas Ivan Lao expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the event. “I want to take this opportunity to thank the organizers, whether coming from the DA or the Rice Board, for continuing to launch and do this program like the NRTF because it’s a very important forum for the farmers and other rice stakeholders to be able to meet each other every year, to see new technologies, to also be able to network with each other to really understand kung ano yung problema ng rice industry para matackle natin multi-party, multi-stakeholder. Alam naman natin na lahat tayo ay kailangan magtulong-tulong para makatulong sa ating magsasakang Pilipino.”

Catch Bayer's highlights featuring our Arize® varieties, package of technologies, and all the fun interactions with our farmer stakeholders during the 16th NRTF. Watch this video:

References:
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1208563
https://tribune.net.ph/2023/08/25/rice-board-to-hold-16th-national-rice-technology-forum-in-september/

Read more stories here:

Connect with us! Follow the Bayer CropScience Philippines and DEKALB Philippines Facebook pages. Subscribe to our official Youtube channel, Bayer AgricademyTV.