The Victorias City government turned over PSR 03-171, a high-yielding and pest-tolerant sugarcane variety, to local farmers at Barangay V on Thursday, September 17.
High-quality cane points were distributed to 50 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) for actual field cultivation.
The initiative marks Victorias City’s distinction as the first local government to provide a budget for small sugarcane farmers to improve and enhance their productivity, PHILSURIN Director General Maria Regina B. Martin said.
Martin said PSR 03-171 is more tolerant to the highly destructive Red-stripe soft scale insects and has shown minimal to no stunting.
The other RSSI-hit cane varieties have stunted may not have anything left to harvest, she said.
She said seven other local government units – Sagay City, Cadiz City, Manapla, EB Magalona, Silay City, Talisay City and Murcia have also “started planting seed farms in preparation for this coming crop year to replace the sorry state of the RSSI stricken varieties”.
Martin, in her speech at the turnover rites, said “Today, we celebrate more than the introduction of a new sugarcane variety. We celebrate the power of research, partnership, and hope”.
“PSR 03-171 is the fruit of years of scientific research, careful field evaluation, and the dedication of our researchers and field personnel,” she said.
Martin noted that the variety was selected for its high yield potential, ease of cultivation, and promising tolerance to the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI)—a major pest concern in sugarcane production.
However, she stressed that research only achieves its true purpose when implemented on the ground.
“A variety kept inside a research station cannot change lives. Its true value begins in the fields, in the harvests, and in the lives of farming families,” Martin said, acknowledging Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and the provincial government for helping turn agricultural innovation into opportunity.
Addressing the recipients, Martin highlighted the broader meaning of the distribution: “The cane points you received are more than planting materials—they are a promise of opportunity, a stronger foundation for better harvests, and a more sustainable future.”
The partnership with PHILSURIN was originally initiated under former Victorias mayor and current Rep. Javier Miguel Lopez Benitez and has been sustained under Mayor Abelardo Bantug III.
The city established a 2-hectare Primary Seed Farm for initial propagation.
Operations expanded into a 12-hectare Secondary Seed Farm to generate larger volumes of planting material.*
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