Philippines to use new rice varieties

The International Rice Research Institute developed grain, one of which can withstand floods, while one can survive drought and another has a high salt tolerance.

The Philippines, a nation of 90 million people and the world's biggest rice buyer, was forced to ramp up imports and even ration handouts to its poorest neighborhoods last year as prices spiked at near-30 year highs.

“In the Philippines about 400,000 hectares (988,386 acres) of rice-growing land is affected by salinity, and in any year up to 370,000 hectares can be flood-affected,” said David Mackill, leader of the team that developed the three varieties.

“Both these conditions can completely destroy a rice crop or decrease yield,” he said in a statement.

“Yield is also reduced by drought that occurs in upland and rain-fed areas where rice is not irrigated. Having rice varieties that can cope with difficult growing conditions such as flood, drought and salinity will be particularly helpful for poor farmers who rely on marginal land to grow their rice.”

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates Filipinos eat an average of more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of rice each per year.

With the population increasing, demand for the staple continues to grow.

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