THREE hybrid corn varieties of Bayer Crop Science were recently cited as the highest-yielding in Cebu growing up to 8.3 metric tons per hectare (MT/ha), which is now seen to uplift farmers’ lives in the province’s biggest corn-producing town.

In a corn competition in Asturias, Cebu, Bayer’s DEKALB 9118S posted a yield of 8.3 MT/ha, with a return on investment pegged at 84.7 percent or a net income of more than P45,000 per hectare.

DEKALB 9118S was developed to have good resistance against tough corn diseases, particularly foliar disease, banded leaf sheath blight (BLSB), and stalk rot disease.

“Aside from being the top performer in the Asturias corn derby, DEKALB 9118S characteristics include high shelling recovery at 84 percent, which indicates heavy grains once the corn ears are removed from the cobs,” said Erwin Vibal, Grower Marketing lead of Bayer Crop Science.

“This is advantageous for endusers who require high yield output from corn production,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bayer’s DEKALB 9919S recorded a yield of 7.9 MT/ha while DEKALB 6919S at 7.5 MT/ha.

The corn derby was conducted in a 4.5-hectare farm in Asturias, Cebu owned by Virginia Farms. The group co-hosted the competition with the objective of assessing the performance of different hybrid corn varieties available in the market.

The municipality of Asturias and the provincial government of Cebu is aspiring to raise corn production while also helping raise the livelihood levels of farmers.

Asturias Municipal Agriculturist Jade Mesias said Asturias is now considered as the biggest land area planted to hybrid corn in the whole of Cebu province.

While the Cebu is not a major producer of yellow corn in the country, the province has a huge demand and relies on neighboring islands for its requirements. With this, Asturias is aiming to grow its corn area to meet the needs of feed millers in the province.

“Agriculture is the lifeblood of Asturias’ economy. The impact will be very significant, both socially and economically if we’re able to plant more area with hybrid corn,” Mesias said.