The Department of Agriculture – Cordillera (DA-CAR) through the Regional Corn Program implemented the Cordillera Corn Derby Field Day at Cudal, Tabuk City, Kalinga on September 20-23, 2022.
The activity was to showcase the yield performance of the 16 newly developed hybrid yellow corn varieties during the 2022 wet season planting under the city’s soil and climatic condition. The new varieties were showcased by eight private seed companies partners introducing two varieties each. The companies are Advanta Philippines Inc., Asian Hybrid Seed Technologies Inc., Bayer Crop Science Inc., Bioseed Research Philippines Inc., Cornworld Breeding Systems Corp., Corteva Agriscience Philippines Inc., Evo Gene Seeds Corporation, and Syngenta Philippines Inc.
The activity was participated in by more than 250 corn farmers from Tabuk City, Rizal, Pinukpuk and Tanudan, Kalinga, and Paracelis, Mountain Province. The participants visited the matured hybrid corn varieties. These varieties were planted on May 27, 2022 owned by the Daram-Cudal Multipurpose Cooperative as the cooperator. Business presentations by the participating companies were also done.
Afterward, the corn farmers voted for their preferred varieties. The top 10 most preferred varieties based on the result of votes will be recognized as the Farmers’ Choice. The result of the demo will be one of the bases of the Corn Program Unit for the procurement of seeds, which will then be distributed to the farmers under its production and extension support services.
Further, the champion wais Syngenta Philippines variety NK6130BGT with an estimated yield of 12.13 MT/ha and a gross income of P230,428/ha. The 1st runner-up is Bayer Crop Science variety DK8282S with a yield of 11.68 MT/ha and gross income of P221, 934/ha. Meanwhile, Syngenta variety NK8840BGT bagged the 2nd runner-up with a yield of 10.50MT/ha, and a P199,417/ha gross income. On 3rd and 4th runner-up is Corteva Agriscience with their varieties P3585YHR with a 10.36MT/ha estimated yield and gross income of 196,817/ha, and variety P3582YHR with a yield of 9.64 MT/ha and a gross income of P183,203/ha, respectively.
According to City Agriculturist Officer Mr. Nobleto N. Sagun, corn farmers should consider the performance of corn such as yield, resistance to pests and diseases, and drought tolerance when choosing the right variety of corn seeds.
This was seconded by Provincial Agriculturist Domingo Bakilan during the culminating program, as he reminded the participant that regardless of the results of the derby, farmers are free to choose the varieties they want. “Even if the variety is number one, farmers always consider the price, yield, and appearance of the corn,” he stated.
Regional Corn Coordinator Gerardo Banawa meanwhile said that Ifugao, Paracelis, Mountain Province, and Kalinga are the Corn Corridor of the Cordillera. “The soil abundant to this corn cluster is clay, which is very suitable for corn farming,” he said.
Concerns regarding the corn fuel subsidy were also addressed. Tabuk City Corn Focal Person Johnny Layao said that some corn farmers didn’t register their farm areas on the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), hence failing to receive their fuel subsidy, “If it is possible to update your RSBSA and register your farm area because if you don’t have any records despite having a corn field, your name will not be included in the program,” he advised. He also encouraged the farmers to report to their cooperatives the damage of their crop incurred during calamities and added that farmers should join Farmer Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) to be able for them to have easier access to government interventions.
Jovita Apagan Dalayday, a corn farmer, expressed her gratitude for the program being implemented by DA, “Because of this activity, we have gained new knowledge, especially about farming technologies being used today. We have something new to apply in our farming activities to improve our crops, our harvest and our income,” she expressed.**CEWaytan
