CLSU Agronomist To Test Rice Varieties from Hubei Seeds Company

University professor-researcher Dr. Carlos Abon of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) agreed to test and evaluate five rice varieties from the China’s Hubei Provincial Seed Company under CLSU conditions. The sample Chinese rice varieties were part of the “exchange seeds” activity during the international seed technology course that this reporter and FAO consultant Dr. Rosendo Rapusas attended recently in Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan City (Province of Hubei). Testing shall be done at the experimental facilities of the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT), a collaborative bilateral project between the governments of the Philippines and China.

Under PhilSCAT rice program, collaboration on hybrid rice is being done with the province of Hunan, specifically with the LongPing Hi-Tech Co. Ltd. However, varieties developed from other provinces are welcome for testing and evaluation at the University experimental station. As Dr. Abon puts it, the more the merrier.

PhilSCAT will formally resume its operations this January 2012, as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has already approved over P13M Philippine counterpart budget for MOE of PhilSCAT. The Department of Agriculture, as PhilSCAT executing agency, shall release some P6M this yearend for the initial operations. PROC’s counterparts were in the form of facilities and equipment, secondment of about seven Chinese experts whose salaries and wages shall be taken care of by the Chinese government, and the special funds for selected activities of PhilSCAT like training (locally and in China) and the like. (JSF reports)