Comparative analysis of rice variety adoption patterns in Eastern India and Central Luzon, Philippines

This paper aims to answer the possible reasons why new generation modern varieties have faster adoption in the Philippines than in Eastern India. Data shows that there is an increasing adoption of modern varieties in two countries based on the number of released varieties in the past years. Despite of this, it shows that variety released before 1990 (Swarna) is still the major rice variety planted in India covering at least 51% of the total MV area. On the other hand, reverse happened in the Philippines wherein varieties released after 1990, which includes NSIC Rc128, PSB Rc82, and PSB Rc18, occupies half of the total area allocated to rice. Findings enumerated the possible reasons on why old generation MVs are widely adopted in Eastern Indian region which include the following: hydrological conditions and importance of land types, farmer‟s land endowment, farmer preferences, seed subsidy program, and strong partnership between public and private sectors