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Here are the highest average yielders per hectare:
91 tons, AA, Region 03
69 tons, BB, Region 10
78 tons, CC, Region 04
50 tons, DD, Region 05
55 tons, EE, Region 11
40 tons, FF, Region 08
65 tons, GG, Region 07
70 tons, HH, Region 12
73 tons, II, Region 06
78 tons, JJ, Region 02
78 tons, KK, Region 13
99 tons, LL, Region 01
78 tons, MM, Region 09
I’m happy for the peasants,
because I believe sweet
sorghum is the single best
crop for small Filipino
farmers. To the poor tillers of
the soil, sweet sorghum
yields food from the grains,
animal fodder from the stalks,
fuel from the bagasse,
fertilizer from the crop
residue; sweet sorghum can
be grown in the worst places.
The law of the juggle says the highest goes to the top, the lowest to
the bottom. So, following ‘survival of the fittest,’ following protocol,
we recommend to the Philippine Seed Board (PSB) variety LL (99
tons) for public consumption. LL is the fittest of them all. The PSB
approves.
Now, the mean best yield of the 13 ICRISAT sorghums is 71 tons (91 +
69 + 78 + 50 + 55 + 40 + 65 + 70 + 73 + 78 + 78 + 99 + 78 equals
924 divided by 13). That means the top 2 new sorghums yield higher
than the average new sorghum by at least 20 tons. I’m happy for the
peasants, because I believe sweet sorghum is the single best crop
for small Filipino farmers. To the poor tillers of the soil, sweet sorghum
yields food from the grains, animal fodder from the stalks, fuel from
the bagasse, fertilizer from the crop residue; sweet sorghum can be
grown in the worst places. In short, sweet sorghum equals hope.
Syrup from sweet sorghum gives us ethanol, a biofuel priced above
diamonds now that gasoline and diesel are priced above rubies.
But, I have a problem recommending the top new variety to farmers
in those 13 regions of my country. Why? Because, looking again, I find the yields in:
Region 03: AA highest, the rest lower;
Region 10: BB highest, the rest lower;
Region 04: CC highest, the rest lower;
‘Survival Of The Fittest’