MAGARAO, Camarines Sur —  A seasoned rice farmer from Barangay Sta. Lucia in this town recently made headlines on social media for his extraordinary rice harvest. 

Genaro A. Tamon produced 263 cavans (sacks) of hybrid rice, each weighing 60 kilos, from his one-hectare irrigated farm, setting a new record in the Bicol Region.

Lovella P. Guarin, head of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section (RAFIS), confirmed that Tamon’s record harvest amounted to 15.78 metric tons, tripling the Bicol region's average yield of 4.41 metric tons per hectare in irrigated rice areas, according to the 2023 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Tamon sold his fresh palay at a local comprada for P21.50 per kilo, earning a gross income of P339,270. After deducting his production expenses, which totaled around P130,000, he netted P209,270 from just one hectare of rice.

Tamon credits his impressive yield to the combined use of organic (chicken dung) and inorganic fertilizers, along with a high-yielding hybrid rice variety. He planted 15 kilos of the US 88 Hybrid Rice variety from SeedWorks Philippines, Inc., a private seed company.

Starting with a 300-square-meter seedbed enriched with 10 bags of rice hull, Tamon applied 10 kilos of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) to the growing seedlings after 10 days. Meanwhile, he prepared his one-hectare farm by applying 100 bags of chicken dung, purchased at P100 per bag, and 10 liters of soil conditioner after harrowing.

He transplanted the 20-day-old palay seedlings at a distance of 15 cm by 20 cm to optimize root and canopy growth, ensuring each square meter held 30 single rice seedlings. Fertilizer was applied in granular and foliar forms every 15 days, beginning on the fifth day after transplanting with 3 bags of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) and 2 bags of urea. Subsequent applications included combinations of urea, 16-20-0, 17-0-17, and 0-0-60 fertilizers at regular 15-day intervals.

Tamon also sprayed foliar fertilizer thrice during the tillering, booting, and flowering stages. He emphasized the importance of adequate fertilization for high yields in hybrid rice, stating, “Sunod sa layaw ang palay ko kaya binigyan din ako ng magandang ani. Kung magtatanim ka, dapat may target ka din na harvest.”

He explained the significant difference between inbred and hybrid rice, noting that hybrid varieties can produce up to 500 grains per panicle, compared to the maximum of 200 grains in inbred varieties. However, he stressed that achieving such yields requires sufficient fertilizer application.

A long-time local farmer technician for the Department of Agriculture Bicol, Tamon was also the 2018 regional Gawad Saka outstanding rice farmer. At 61 years old, he currently serves as the president of the Sta. Lucia Farmers Association, which comprises over 92 rice farmers cultivating approximately 210 hectares of rice farms in Magarao, Camarines Sur.

RECORD-SETTING RICE FARMER -- Genaro Tamon poses in the middle of his rice field in Camarines Sur.  Photo courtesy of Eduardo Collantes, Jr.