INTRODUCTION

Access to information paved the way for Filipinos to become an empowered consumer. Over the years, the wealth of such information has opened new horizons, perspectives, and lifestyles as part of this global culture that anyone may just choose to adopt. This includes food that has taught the Filipino palate to explore and appreciate what our tastebuds can now savor under various cuisines. Even with rice as our basic staple is not exempted from being eaten in a new and creative way using various recipes and rice varieties worldwide. Japonica rice, a high-yielding variety commonly grown in countries like Japan and South Korea has a medium-sized grain, roundish bright white, and moist (PCAARRD, 2016). According to De Leon (2012), the japonica variety is intentionally being cultivated by some farmers to cater to the high-end consumer market as its attributes make it suitable for sushi and other Asian and Mediterranean cuisines that Filipinos have learned to adapt. It is through these cuisines that their national rice varieties would unlock the authenticity of the dish. Filipinos’ increased patronage for these international cuisines has created a demand for specialty rice such as Japonica varieties to be used by this chain of restaurants and food enterprises. Thus, it would also be imperative to know the producers’ side regarding their acceptability of Japonica varieties under the country’s tropical conditions.

In 1992, a joint project of South Korea’s Rural Development Authority (RDA) and IRRI known as the GUVA (Germplasm Utilization Value Added) rice project was conceptualized. In general, the goal is to develop japonica rice varieties that can adapt and be competitive in the tropical countries, which was then tested in the Philippines. So far, there have been six varieties that have been developed under the typical tropical environment namely, MS11 (2008), Japonica 1 (2011), Japonica 2 (2012), Japonica 6 (2017), Cordillera 4 (2019) and Japonica 7 (2020) (Pacleb et al., 2021). This demand growth possibility and the premium which japonica rice commands translates to market potential in the supply side which may benefit the local farmers in the Philippines.

From 2015 to 2019, japonica rice varieties were distributed among farmers in Visayas through a model village project. This activity showed acceptability and willingness to continue as Farmer’s (Hong et al., 2020) income increased by around 35% on average. There were also trials in Bohol and Nueva Ecija where seed production and distribution were done. Farmers were under a buy-back agreement where their milled rice was marketed. These efforts were under the implementation of cooperatives and private partners where beneficiaries looked forward to planting the japonica varieties in more areas (Manigbas and Badajos, 2018) (Manila Bulletin, 2010). A set of marketing strategies for ‘MS 11’ being identified as a highquality japonica type cultivar adapted to local Asia (Hong et al., 2020). It was positioned as a premium brand, which targeted Korean, Japanese and Chinese tourists in the country. However, the high-quality seeds are one of the most important requirements of farmers especially those who cannot afford to buy (de Guzman et al. 2023, Manigbas and Badajos, 2018). It was through the high-quality seed multiplication and dissemination project in Nueva Ecija, Iloilo, and Bohol that the farmers get to access such seeds like NSIC Rc 170 (MS 11), a japonica rice variety. Despite the market demand from the consumers’ side, there were limited market studies that demonstrate the variety’s effectiveness and performance under local conditions in the country under the lens of the farmers themselves. It is in this context that this study is being pursued to determine the farmers’ overall assessment of the GUVA japonica rice variety as it tries to keep up and compete with the local varieties in the country.

This study aims to determine the acceptability of locally adapted japonica varieties among selected rice farmers in the Philippines. Specifically, the study further aims to: (1) describe the profile of adopters and non-adopters of GUVA japonica rice farmers; (2) determine how the farmers assess the GUVA japonica rice varieties compared to other rice varieties commonly being used; (3) examine the performance of the GUVA japonica rice and its marketability to traders, millers, etc.; and (4) formulate strategies to address the problems and opportunities as in order to increase the potential usage and adoption of GUVA japonica rice varieties rice farmers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A series of consultation meetings via online were held to initiate tracing of farmers who planted the GUVA japonica rice. These are the rice farmers who are involved in the high-quality seed multiplication and dissemination project in Nueva Ecija and Bohol. Consultations with scientists/ researchers and businessmen were made to request for the list of farmer respondents. This generated two major farmer groups from Bohol and Nueva Ecija such as Bohol Japonica Rice Growers Association (BJRGA) and Bantug Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BPMPC), respectively. These two groups were further classified into farmer adopter and farmer non-adopter types. The adopters are those who were part of the said project through their cooperative and were able to experience rice production through usage of Japonica varieties. As for the farmer nonadopters in the study, these are farmers who are either members of the same cooperative who adopted the GUVA japonica rice for experimental trial or farmers whose residency or farm location are within the vicinity of those who adopted the GUVA rice.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. Farmer adopter

(1) Farmer and Farm Profile

The farmer and farm profiles for farmer adopters in Bohol and Nueva Ecija are total of 37 respondents in Bohol while 18 respondents from Nueva Ecija (Table 1). Majority of the respondents are male with an average age of 57 and 58 years old for Bohol and Nueva Ecija, respectively. For Bohol, the farmers’ farm locations are spread over in eight municipalities with an average farm size of 3.78 hectares that range from 0.5 to 12 hectares for the smallest to largest farm size. In the case of Nueva Ecija, the farmers’ farm locations are spread over in six municipalities with an average farm size of 2.67 hectares that range from 0.5 to 10 hectares.

(2) Comparative assessment of GUVA japonica rice with common indica rice varieties being planted

Table 2 gives a comparative assessment of the agronomic characteristics of GUVA japonica rice varieties against the common indica rice varieties being planted. These characteristics include seed germination, ease of planting, tolerance to pest/diseases, fertilizer/pesticide requirements, and resistance to lodging. In comparing the GUVA japonica rice variety with the common indica rice variety, several respondents in Bohol stated that most of the agronomic characteristics are the same for both varieties except for resistance to lodging. Although there were some farmers who indicated opposing observations with some farmers such as low germination and hard to plant that make the GUVA japonica rice variety less superior than the common indica rice variety. In the case of Nueva Ecija, the two varieties do not have astounding differences except for seed germination where thin rice hull, spoiled seeds, and being prone to lodging have been cited for non- GUVA japonica rice varieties. Table 2 gives a sneak peek of how the farmer adopters perceive the GUVA japonica rice as compared with the other varieties they currently use. The data show that GUVA japonica rice variety can also be a superior variety when being evaluated against the common local indica rice varieties we have. From Table 3, although the number of sacks per hectare may vary their estimated expenses are almost the same. Yet the sales from buyer and market price data indicate they have higher values for GUVA japonica rice variety as compared to common indica rice variety. The same is the case for Table 4 where sales from buyer and market price are a bit higher than that of the common rice variety. After making a comparative assessment of the GUVA variety, the farmers were tasked to choose which of the two varieties in comparison would they prefer. Figure 1 exhibits Bohol having only 3 (8.11%) out of 37 respondents that gave elaborate answers regarding their preference for GUVA japonica rice such that the eating quality is good and has more trichomes. One respondent even mentioned that the common rice variety is loose rice. On the other hand, another commented that GUVA japonica rice is hard to thresh. In the case of Nueva Ecija, 13 out of 16 respondents have insights on the potential and performance of GUVA japonica rice in terms of yield, seed quality, and good eating quality to name a few. However, a few have qualms regarding the sure buyer for their produce as well as the opportunity to learn and be equipped on the modern practices in rice farming especially in growing GUVA japonica rice. Given the agronomic characteristics as well as yield and income potential as bases for assessing GUVA japonica rice’s acceptability to the rice farmers, the respondents were further probed regarding their preference between commonly used rice variety vs GUVA japonica rice. As shown in Figure 1, many of the Bohol farmers prefer their commonly used rice variety over GUVA japonica rice. Such preference is largely dependent on a ready or sure market and also the machines (i.e. harvest, postharvest and milling machines) needed to ensure that the rice grains maintain its quality. In the case of Nueva Ecija, one of the main reasons for the farmers’ preference for GUVA japonica rice is its taste/good eating quality over the common rice varieties followed by its market potential. Overall, those who remained neutral are inclined to choosing either or both varietal types as long as it provides them with high income and market value, sure buyer, and access to machines that can cater to various variety types that would not compromise its quality. Such preference of the two farmer groups is supported by their top three reasons based on their experience.

For Bohol farmers, their top 3 reasons include (1) high yield and high market price; (2) eating quality and sure buyer; and (3) resistant to pest and diseases. In the case of Nueva Ecija farmers, their top 3 reasons are (1) good eating quality, (2) high market price, and (3) high income. As shown by Figure 2, the top suggested improvement pertains to GUVA japonica rice’s threshability according to Bohol farmers. This is followed by market and investors as a suggestion from Nueva Ecija farmers. Finally, technology upgrade and purity of seeds must also be considered. These suggestions altogether are linked with one another. Given GUVA japonica rice’s attribute as a late-maturing rice, most of the produce are either being hurried for harvest, which affects its threshability property. This then requires a complement of upgraded technology to ensure that from harvesting to milling, quality of rice is maintained as it reaches the market/investors not to mention the importance of purity in the GUVA japonica rice seeds in keeping with the premium quality grade that clients expect.

The GUVA japonica rice is a specialty rice and is not combined with another/other rice variety(ies) so it can be sold as JAPONICA rice itself. This necessitates a farmer’s capability to achieve purity since this is one of the rice attributes that commands a premium price. The respondents gave an overall rating of their interest to plant pure GUVA japonica variety. Figure 3 show the high rating that indicate the high interest being given by farmer adopters in Bohol and Nueva Ecija. Since the GUVA japonica rice gives value to purity for its premium price, both farmer respondent groups are mainly concerned with their market/ buyer as it is important that there would be a sure market for their produce (Fig. 4). As they shall be planting pure GUVA japonica rice, this means that this is the only variety they shall be planting in their farms and shall be done in isolation with other rice varieties thus preventing the farmers to also plant other varieties in their respective farm areas. This is followed by seed availability, which has become a problem as the farmers have raised that although they have tried the GUVA japonica rice, the unavailable seed supply can lead to a series of problems in rice production. This could further lead to delays resulting from the seed supply problem such as lack of access to water, pest and disease infestation due to unsynchronous planting, and low market prices due to late harvest to name a few. These two pressing worries must be addressed so farmers could commit themselves to planting GUVA japonica rice.

Figure 5 gives a roster of the measure’s farmers shall employ to achieve purity. Rouging tops the list of activities to be done followed by solo planting, proper land preparation, separate/isolation area, use of seeds from subsidies for integrity of variety, and farm management. Meanwhile, implementing these measures also entails additional costs from the farmer’s end. Table 5 shows a big discrepancy between the two provinces as the average additional costs required for GUVA Japonica rice production in Nueva Ecija is more than four times the average cost of Bohol’s. Details as to why this is so not captured by the study.

When it comes to buyer price to trader and direct customer, the respondents have provided values for seeds, palay and milled rice. It can be noted that the price being set for these products for both the trader and direct customer are relatively higher in Bohol than in Nuva Ecija (Table 6). Similarly, the willingness to sell price of trader and customer is also higher in Bohol than in Nueva Ecija for seeds, palay and milled rice as given by Table 6.

The assessment of GUVA japonica rice variety against the common indica rice variety could initially determine the farmer adopters’ willingness and interest to plant GUVA japonica rice. Table 7 presents that more than half of the two respondent groups have given a rating of 5 to indicate they are highly interest to plant the GUVA japonica rice variety. This is attributed to the following reasons: good performance, good eating quality, high market demand, sure and high market price/profit, and seed subsidy. Those who gave a rating of 3 and below have recorded few responses to none. This just shows that the farmers do not have a negative attitude or perspective towards the GUVA variety. The previous discussion mentioned about the hesitations/worries of farmers to go into planting of GUVA japonica rice like sure market/demand. This remains to be the primary factor that will convince farmers to venture into GUVA japonica rice production. This is followed by high market price/profit and seed subsidy (Fig. 6). These motivations are realistic parameters for a farmer to wholly commit to plant GUVA japonica rice.

2. Farmer non-adopter

(1) Farmer and Farm Profile

The overview of the farmer and farm profiles for farmer non-adopters in Bohol and Nueva Ecija with a total of 16 respondents in Bohol while 20 respondents for Nueva Ecija (Table 8). Majority of the respondents are male with an average age of 47 and 56 years old for Bohol and Nueva Ecija, respectively. For Bohol, the farmers’ farm locations are spread over in nine municipalities with an average farm size of 1.11 hectares ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 hectares for the smallest to largest farm size. In the case of Nueva Ecija, the farmers’ farm locations are spread over in seven municipalities, one of which is in Victoria, Tarlac since this is just near the municipality of Guimba in Nueva Ecija. Their average farm size is 2.55 hectares that range from 0.5 to 16 hectares for the smallest to largest farm size.

(2) General assessment of GUVA japonica rice variety

In Bohol, it was in 2016 to 2017 that the non-adopter farmers were offered to try planting the GUVA Japonica rice while for the Nueva Ecija respondents, it was offered to them in 2019. Figure 7 indicates an overview of the barriers/ reasons for them not to try the GUVA variety. For Bohol farmers, their limited or lack of knowledge on the variety is their main reason not to try planting it. This is followed by non-availability of seeds and its unsuitable attribute in their farm location. On the other hand, Nueva Ecija farmers wanted to observe first and wait for the result of others since they are still unfamiliar with the variety.

Other reasons mentioned are the variety’s long maturity, low yield and market problems. These observations corroborate the like/dislike rating of the respondents that gave a neutral assessment of GUVA Japonica rice. This could be attributed to their observations on the GUVA japonica rice variety results that could either be good or bad, while also being mindful of the Japonica’s specialty/premium rice classification, which fetches a high price/value in the market. These ratings are further discussed by Table 9 with a roster of the likes and dislikes on the GUVA japonica rice. Despite the reasons that the farmer-non-adopters mentioned, their overall position for trying/not trying a new farm practice, technology, or variety such as GUVA japonica rice may indicate their appetite in trying or not trying something new. Table 10 shows that majority have chosen the middle ground, those with the “wait-and-see” attitude. This is justifiable as deciding to plant GUVA japonica rice alone entails committing your whole farm in isolation only for this variety to ensure purity. This also further explains why at the time these farmers were offered to plant this variety, they are not the ones to take the risk of firsthand experience of using this variety in their rice production.

The respondents’ overall rating of their interest to plant pure GUVA japonica variety is captured in Figure 8. The Bohol farmers showed a 50-50 interest rating to plant only GUVA japonica rice, while Nueva Ecija farmers have a 90% high interest rating. Farmer non-adopters’ hesitations/ worries in planting GUVA japonica rice are similar with those of the farmer adopters in Bohol and Nueva Ecija (Fig. 9). Market/buyer remains to be the main concern for both farmer groups. This is followed by maturity for Nueva Ecija respondents since the GUVA japonica rice variety is long maturing variety as compared with the other common varieties that the farmers plant. Meanwhile, lowyielding attributes and limited knowledge and experience stand out for the Bohol farmers apart from the other items listed in the graph. As mentioned earlier, it takes a lot of commitment from the farmer to ensure purity from his rice produce. Respondents gave examples of the measures they shall perform to ensure purity in planting GUVA japonica rice. Rouging tops the list of activities to be done followed by solo planting, separate/isolation area, proper land preparation, and buyers’ criteria in setting the platform to ensure purity (Fig. 10).

For this portion, only the Bohol respondents were able to provide answers pertaining to cost and price information. These include the identified additional costs that will be involved in ensuring the purity of the GUVA Japonica rice in Table 11.

Meanwhile, Table 12 gives the price that traders would pay the farmer as well as the price that customers would pay if they buy directly from the farmers that seem to be quite affordable. Table 13 shows the farmer adopters’ willingness and interest to plant GUVA Japonica rice. More than half of the two respondent groups have indicated that they are highly interested to plant the GUVA variety. This is attributed to the following: good performance, good eating quality, high market demand, sure and high market price/profit, and seed subsidy. On the other hand, their reasons also include the worries, and they will be willing to do so if these are addressed. Those who gave a rating of 2 and below have recorded few responses to none.

Figure 11 shows the identified factors that will convince farmers to plant GUVA japonica rice. For Nueva Ecija farmers, seed subsidy is their main driving factor to plant the GUVA japonica rice variety while for Bohol, high income/market and input subsidy are their motivation to plant GUVA japonica rice. High income/market remains to be the primary factor that will convince farmers to venture into GUVA japonica rice production. This is followed by high market price/profit and seed subsidy. These factors are quite similar with what has been raised as the motivations of the farmer adopters.

Despite the positive responses of the farmers towards the GUVA japonica rice variety, there is a need to launch a promotional campaign to incite the interest of adopters and non-adopters towards this variety that shall include technodemo farms to cater to the “wait-and-see” adopters, who were quite numerous among the respondents in the study. Although it is a known fact that a lot of farmers are this type of technology adopters particularly if it involves change in their production practices. Aside from this, capacity building activities for tooling and retooling of farmers and extension workers must be conducted in support of this campaign. This was highlighted by the farmer non-adopters as their reason why they were hesitant to try the GUVA japonica rice variety. Moreover, it would help if the extension workers that would disseminate or distribute the GUVA japonica rice variety would be updated on their knowledge of the japonica varieties to keep up with what the farmers are about to learn. The barriers/hesitations to adoption of the GUVA japonica rice variety which includes seed availability, varietal information, and market potential must be complemented with the suggested improvements on the variety as well as the factors that convince the farmers to commit to using this variety. Researchers together with partner agencies must put a lot of thought on how to integrate and synchronize these concerns so that the farmers could adopt GUVA japonica rice. Moreover, a sure market for the GUVA japonica rice variety requires a steady supply that is consistent with the client’s quality and volume specifications as well as scheduled procurements that go with it. It is the role of the breeding team of these japonica varieties that enough seed supply is available and accessible to these farmers who shall be planting them according to schedule. Any delays could anticipate problems in the rice production that could create a ripple effect towards the supply chain and eventually affect the market. This entails production and consultations with supply chain actors regarding their requirements and observed timelines so that simultaneous conduct of activities would provide information on bottlenecks and contingencies that must be implemented throughout the chain.

적 요

국제미작연구소와 농촌진흥청의 협력과제(GUVA)를 통하여 개발한 열대 지역 적응 자포니카 쌀 품종의 농가 수용가능성 을 판단하기 위해 필리핀 Bohol의 농민 53명과 Nueva Ecija 의 농민 38명을 대상으로 농가 수용성을 조사하였습니다. 이 들은 GUVA 자포니카 쌀 품종을 채택한 그룹과 채택하지 않 은 그룹으로 분류하여 조사되었습니다. 농민 응답자는 대부분 남성으로 연령은 30~80세이고, 농장규모는 0.5~16 ha입니다. 농민들의 쌀 품종 및 용도는 농업적 특성, 수확량 및 소득잠 재력, 종자 순도 문제를 기반으로 GUVA 자포니카 쌀 품종과 일반적으로 재배되는 인디카 쌀 품종을 비교하여 평가되었습 니다.

GUVA 자포니카 쌀 품종 채택자들은 일반적인 인디카 쌀 품종과 비교할 때 도복저항성을 제외하고는 대부분의 농업적 특성이 동일하다고 하였습니다. 자포니카 쌀은 인디카 쌀에 비 해 맛과 식감이 좋고, 높은 시장가격을 형성하고 있다고 인식 하고 있으나, 수확 후 도정시설이 별도로 필요하고, 소비시장 확보, 안정적인 종자공급 확보 등의 문제로 여전히 인디카 쌀 품종재배를 선호하였습니다. GUVA 자포니카 쌀 품종 비채택 자들은 아직 자포니카 품종에 대한 정보가 부족하고, 경험해 보지 않은 것에 대한 새로운 시도를 꺼려 하였습니다. 또한, 자포니카 품종의 낮은 쌀 수확량과 쌀 품종 순도유지의 어려 움을 제시하였습니다.

두 그룹 모두 절반 이상이 GUVA 자포니카 쌀 품종을 심 는데 큰 관심을 보여주었으나, 농민들이 채택할 수 있도록 하 기 위해서는 종자 가용성, 품종 정보 및 시장 잠재력과 더불 어 품종 개선사항을 보완해야 합니다. 농민들이 GUVA 자포 니카 쌀을 채택할 수 있도록 연구자들은 파트너 기관과 함께 농민들의 어려움을 어떻게 통합하고, 해결해야 할지 많은 고 민을 해야 합니다. 또한, 이들 지역에서 GUVA 자포니카 쌀 품종을 홍보하고, 채택할 수 있도록 지속적인 R&D 연구가 동 반되어야 합니다.