By Anna Valmero
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is funding a seed production program for white corn to enhance food security and help reduce the cases of diabetes in the country.
The Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) produced the high-yielding “IPB Var 6” white corn, which is “nearly comparable to commercial white corn hybrid,” said Dr. Artemio M. Salazar, deputy director and network head of the National Corn RDE (Research, Development, and Extension) Network.
White corn could become an alternative staple food to those living in upland areas since growing corn is easier than irrigation-intensive rice and it will curb the cases of diabetes among urban dwellers, said Salazar.
Compared to white rice, white corn has low glycemic index (GI), which means white corn takes slower to digest and it releases glucose gradually into the blood stream, thus lessening the risk of diabetes. It is also rich in protein, lysine, tryptophan, fiber and antioxidants.
“This is the perfect food for diabetics,” Salazar said.
At present, one in five Filipinos in Visayas and Mindanao eat white corn as their staple food so there is still need to educate the public about its health benefits and why it is a better alternative to white rice, he added.
“By introducing an alternative to the market, we can lower the demand for rice. We can definitely grow white corn with more yield and at cheaper costs so we would no longer have to import rice,” he said.
Based on the national corn testing, the IPB Var 6 yields an average of 5.84 metric tons (MT) per hectare in Luzon; in Visayas, 5.45 MT per hectare, and in Mindanao, 4.47 MT per hectare.
Under phase one of the project, the DA released P15 million for the seed production program under which a total of 10,000 bags (180,000 kilos) of white corn was produced, each bag containing 18 kilos. The second phase, funded with P25 million, produced about 22,000 bags or 396 kilos of white corn.
Half of these seeds produced have been distributed to DA’s regional offices while the UPLB institute will produce foundation white corn seeds to propagate the corn in other regions.
DA will release P7 million annually over the next five years for continuing seed production.
“You don’t need capital-intensive irrigation facilities because corn grows where ever there is rain. The only other thing we have to provide those in uplands who have not much to eat is the corn mill,” Salazar said.
Salazar said the UPLB also developed a mobile mini corn mill which costs around P100,000, which is far cheaper than high capacity machines worth millions of pesos.
This “corn mill for the barrio” can process 100 kilos of corn grains per hour and in eight hours, it can produce enough food for 1,000 people in the barrio, assuming consumption of 300 grams a day.
The UPLB is coordinating with the DA and other local government units for the fabrication of the mini corn mill. For inquiries, contact Dr. Salazar at 0918-905-4369 and Ana Gabatin at 0919-245-8140.
