Hybrid rice in Cambodia: The start of the end?

Monday, November 9, 2009

The start of the end?

A Filipino publication, Businessworldonline, mentions that SL Agritech will start to grow hybrid rice in Cambodia soon:

' "For our hybrid seeds, we are going to plant them in Cambodia… late this year. We will supply them with seeds," SL Agritech president Henry Lim Bon Liong said in a recent phone interview. ...
"In the future, we can also do contract growing [premium rice] in Cambodia and export it because the cost of production there is lower," Mr. Lim said, adding that producing rice in Cambodia costs half than in the Philippines'.

SL Agritech is essentially a Filipino company with a big share in the nation's hybrid rice (seed) production and distribution. Them mentioning coming to Cambodia is for sure to be taken serious, though ultimately to make things work for them they will need to grease the wheels, find farmers willing to work for them, find land (not so easy) and pay well. My thinking? It's going to be tough.

Summary

Policy makers highlight the possible consequences of the closing of the gap between production and consumption of rice. Their answer to this, is to increase production, which could be best achieved by growing hybrid rice. They point to the achievements that China has managed to achieve.

However it is not obvious that increasing production by raising the yield frontier is the best solution, as economic issues lie at the heart of the slowing production growth of rice.

The major international rice research institute (IRRI) has however decided that hybrid rice is the best way and is actively building up cooperation with private interests as they are not only interesting partner but also the most efficient organization to pursue this.

Opposition to hybrid rice growing focuses on this corporisation and possible future consequences of leaving the playing field to private interests rather than public interests.

Little experience with growing hybrid rice has taken place in Cambodia with inconclusive results. Nonetheless there should be ample scope to produce hybrid rice under current dry season conditions.

However despite the relevance of increased yields for land-less and land-poor farmers of Cambodia, there is little scope that hybrid rice growing will become a major tool to alleviate poverty in Cambodia as the price of seed is too high and the government is not expected to be able set up a transparent system of subsidies.

Hybrid rice in Cambodia

Monday, November 9, 2009

The start of the end?

Summary

Announcing growing hybrid rice

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