Tagbilaran City, Bohol - A continuous and reliable supply of high-quality inbred rice seeds is one of the major goals of the Department of Agriculture. There is a continuous call for increased adoption of certified inbred seeds through the promotion and distribution of certified seeds of inbred rice varieties, mobilization and strengthening of local seed production, and support for variety development. Hence, the importance of seed growers in attaining this goal is immense as they play a significant role in the distribution and production of high-quality inbred rice seeds.

On 7 – 11 February 2022, the Agricultural Training Institute -Regional Training Center (ATI-RTC) 7, in collaboration with the Bureau of Plant Industries – National Seed Quality Control Services Division (BPI-NSQCS) 7, conducted Training Course on Inbred Rice Seed Production and Certification for Seed Growers in Panda Tea Garden Suites, Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Twenty-six (26) rice farmers, who aspire to become an accredited rice seed growers, from the municipalities of Bilar, Carmen, Dagohoy, Lila, Mabini, Pilar, San Miguel, Trinidad, Ubay and Valencia Bohol completed the five-day training. These training participants were selected based on the criteria and recommendation of BPI-NSQCS 7.

In the course of the five-day training, participants learned about the status of implementation of rice program and buffer stocking in the region; mechanics, policies and guidelines on seed testing and certification for rice; how to classify varietal selection and characteristics of the approved national seed industry council varieties; differentiate the insect pest management, integrated nutrient management, and integrated cultural management for rice seed production; the harvest and post-harvest technology for rice seed production; and how to apply the seed testing procedures and standards.

A special session about Adaptation and Mitigation Initiatives in Agriculture - Decision Support Tools (AMIA-DST) in farming activities was also introduced to the farmers. Here, they learned about the different weather information products that they could use in their farming.

There was also a field activity for the participants to learn how to conduct field inspection , rouging, seed sampling, bagging and tagging. Participants also learned how to determine moisture content, germinate rate, varietal selection and physical purities in the seed laboratory of BPI-NSQCS 7 at Ubay, Bohol.

Jonathan O. Sumagang and Jorge Fat Trinidad from ATI RTC 7; Marcheta C. Brina and Christine Calamba of BPI-NSQCS in Ubay, Bohol; Rico Rommel A. Varquez, Wilfreda C. Malayao and Felix N. Tubiano of Department of Agriculture- Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center shared their expertise on the topics discussed as resource persons. Ryan Joshua Villena of ATI RTC 7 supported the training as a member of the training management team.

“I will apply all the learnings from this training in actual scenarios so that I can help solve the scarcity of quality rice seeds. To become a certified seed grower is not an easy task as it undergoes many stages,” seed Ohara Caga – one of the training participants.

Should there be any clarifications or inquiries around this training, you may contact Jonathan O. Sumagang, Project Officer, through his email at jsumagang16@gmail.com.