Some of the hybrid corn varieties of German multinational pharmaceutical firm Bayer AG have yielded 8.3 metric tons per hectare (MT/ha) in a government-led farm competition held in Asturias, the biggest corn-production town in Cebu.
A statement showed that three hybrid corn varieties of Bayer, including DEKALB 9118S, topped a corn competition in Asturias, Cebu.
Developed to have good resistance against tough corn diseases, particularly foliar disease, banded leaf sheath blight (BLSB), and stalk rot disease, DEKALB 9118S seized the highest net income standing from the corn derby in Asturias.
On return on investment (ROI), it was pegged at 84.7 percent showing a net income of more than P45,000 per hectare.
The corn derby was conducted on a 4.5-hectare farm in Asturias, Cebu owned by Virginia Farms, which co-hosted the competition.
The municipality of Asturias and the provincial government of Cebu are aspiring to raise corn production while also helping raise the livelihood levels of farmers.
The Cebu provincial government announced last year its Enhanced Countryside Development program with a total budget of P15 billion for agriculture.
It is reported that at least P28 million is already allocated for investment in four yellow corn post-harvest facilities to be situated in strategic arbbeas, including Bantayan Island and Camotes Island.
For this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) was also reported to be allocating P454 million for Cebu’s agriculture sector.
“Asturias is now the biggest in the whole of Cebu island province in terms of land area planted to hybrid corn. We are also the highest corn-yielding town,” according to Asturias Municipal Agriculturist Jade Mesias, who co-administered the corn derby.
While Cebu is not a major producer of yellow corn in the country, the province has a huge demand and relies on neighboring islands for its requirements.
Asturia’s target is to grow the corn area there to meet the needs of feed millers in the province.
“Agriculture is the lifeblood of Asturias’s economy. The impact will be very significant, both socially and economically if we’re able to plant more area with hybrid corn,” said Mesias.
From the corn derby, other Bayer varieties that ranked second and third were DEKALB9919S and DEKALB 6919S, respectively.
DEKALB 9919S had an ROI of 78.7 percent with 7.9 MT/ha, while DEKALB 6919S obtained 71.3 percent ROI at 7.5 MT/ha.