Corn farming technology for the upland areas developed by seed company Monsanto Philippines called “Tipid Sak” now allows farmers to plant corn even in highly elevated areas with minimum, if not zero tillage, a biotechnology group said in a press release.

Rosalie Ellasus, president of the Philippine Maize Federation, Inc., said farmers in Sara, Iloilo are using crops like the genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant Roundup Ready corn appropriate for upland areas.

The Roundup Ready corn variety gives farmers an average yield of 4.5 tons per hectare per cropping season, with very minimal land preparation.

Ellasus said that before the variety was developed a farmer has to till the land first, then apply herbicide, before planting corn. But now, she said, all a farmer needs is to apply the herbicide and plant corn, and no more need for massive cultivation or tillage, the press release said.

The Northern Iloilo Corn Producers Association Inc. has ventured in micro-financing and provides farmers with capital either in the form of cash or seeds and other farm inputs, allowing them to start planting corn which they will pay back later after harvest, including a minimum interest of four percent.

Corn farmers said that for every one hectare of corn, they earn a net income of P25,000 to P35,000 per cropping season.

In Sara, Iloilo, there are now around 26,000 hectares of upland areas planted to genetically-engineered herbicide-tolerant corn, the press release added.*

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