CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro - The Department of Agriculture-Mimaropa (Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) on Wednesday launched a two-day harvest festival in Mindoro and Palawan to showcase the quality hybrid rice as part of the Plant, Plant, Plant program of the national government.

Antonio Gerundio, regional director of DA-Mimaropa, said the activity is aimed at increasing the national agriculture output through intensified use of quality seeds, appropriate inputs and modern farm technologies.
Gerundio said his office is implementing critical strategies on hybrid rice promotion, irrigation and provision of post-harvest facilities as well as access to credit and right marketing to meet the rice-sufficiency target for this year.
The activity, dubbed as Cluster Hybrid Derby Grand Field Day, was simultaneously held in Pinamalayan town in Oriental Mindoro, Rizal in Occidental Mindoro and Narra in Palawan.

The DA invited local municipal agriculturists, farmers group representatives and non-hybrid rice users to help them and the local government units identify which varieties are suited in their respective areas.
DA-MIMAROPA also invited nine hybrid seed companies namely, Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva, Seedworks, SL Agritech, Longping, Bioseeds, Tao Commodity and Advanta for the demonstration of their products.