The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced that it is mulling to develop cheaper yellow corn and white corn varieties under its corn breeding program to be launched this year.
The agency said that the varieties will be designed to proliferate in specific areas and will require lower cost of production to ensure food security and provide farmers more animal feed.
“The government is gearing up to implement a production development plan for the Philippine corn industry that will benefit the livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors and ensure sustainable and sufficient food grains, which forms part of the food security commitment of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the Filipino people,” said the DA in a statement.
The DA expects the new yellow corn varieties to produce five to six tons of harvest per hectare and be more tolerant to drought and diseases as well as contain more protein.
It will also serve as cheaper corn alternatives to existing ones which require imported genetically modified hybrid seeds and too much fertilizer.
The breeding program will be led by the Regional Field Office Cagayan Valley and the Cagayan Valley Research Center, which has developed 18 sustainable, open-pollinated white corn varieties.
At least two of them are expected to be sold in markets in two years.
The Cagayan Valley is a major yellow corn producer, comprising 31 percent of the country’s corn products in 2021.