The Third National Workshop on Hybrid Rice will be held at the Bayview Hotel on Roxas Boulevard in Manila on June 7-9.

The workshop is sponsored by the Department of Agriculture (DA), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and United Nations-Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO).

Implementing agency is the DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

Dr. Leocadio Sebastian, PhilRice executive director, said the theme of the three-day workshop is "Harnessing Hybrid Rice Technology through Policy Advocacy".

The activity will assess the status of the hybrid rice technology (HRT) in the Philippines, including research commercialization and impact; and identify issues and constraints with policy implications affecting the HRT's advancement in the country and address these challenges.

It will also formulate a concrete outline of policy memorandum for a more sustainable hybrid rice technology development and use in the country from 2006 to 2010 based on the best policy recommendations.

DA and PhilRice initiated the government's comprehensive Hybrid Rice Research, Development, and Extension (RD&E) program in 1998 to strengthen the national capacity for hybrid rice development and use.

The first and second national workshops on hybrid rice development and use were conducted in 1998 and 2000, respectively, at the PhilRice central experiment station in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

The issues discussed revolved around three thematic areas, namely: technology generation, seed production, and technology promotion.

In December 2001, the Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program (HRCP) was launcehd by the Arroyo administration as a stratey to increase rice farming productivity and profitability with less land and to ultimately achieve rice sufficiency.

HRCP's major components include hybrid rice cultivation; hybrid seed production; certification and distribution; conduct of trainings and briefings; information campaign; credit facilitation ad marketing assistance; research and development; and socioeconomic monitoring of program impacts.

From the 2002 dry season to the 2004 wet season, rapid developments have taken place at the ground level and valuable experiences have been gained in the program's major components.

"This progress and the increasing participation of the private sector in generating and commercializing HRT make the holding of the Third National Workshop on Hybrid Rice very timely for discussions of related policies on HRT and to advocate for clear policy directions toward gainful use," PhilRice said.