Henry Lim Bon Liong, chairman of Sterling Products, SL Agritech dies father of Philippines hybrid rice

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

Henry LIm Bon Liong, father of Philippine hybrid rice, 72

Henry Lim Bon Liong head of Sterling products engaged in manufacture and sale of office and school supplies, real estate, and agribusiness died at 72.  His remains will be viewed and cremated at Sanctuarium in QC.

He is best remembered for his passion in agriculture.  He invested the family wealth to fund scientists in China to discover the SL 8 rice variety which can yield up to 300 cavan per hectare.   This was at the instance of fmr Pres Erap, who was his friend.   This effort benefitted many farmers who became rich because of this high yielding rice variety.   This rice variety was promoted during the time of Pres Erap but discontinued by his successor.

Henry later on flexed by exporting the high yielding rice variety to rice exporting countries (which Philippines later imported)

He was also a philanthropist.  As former head of Philippine Chinese chamber of commerce he spearheaded many fund raising activities which raised millions for the calamity victims.  

He graduated from UP and took up mechanical engineering at Harvard University

Lost opportunity to increase food production

"Food for every ones table and every homes"

We lost the chances:

1.  Henry's Merit group that discovered at the cost of P500 million of family fortune of the SL 8 rice variety that yielded 300 cavans of rice per hectare, much higher than the vaunted Masagana 99.

2.  This post came across the high yield corn variety produced by a multinational based in South Cotabato.

The claimed yield was 16 metric tons per hectare.

These reported discoveries and innovation could easily have upped our agricultural productivity.  A credit facility in the country or even those that are in rice producing provinces could have easily upped agricultural productivity.  This post supposed that these discoveries did not gain traction because there was no DWIFM for people running the show   The SL 8 rice varieties distribution to farmers was discontinued after the new President took charge.  

As for the corn.  Maybe because it was from a multinational well known for GMO....

What is the choice healthy option first or agricultural productivity.  For an LDC to act like a well developed country....

Farmers Cooperative in Talavera Nueva Ecija shows the way in food security

Food on everybody's dining table.

Rizal Philippines |  September 15, 2014



Nagkakaisang Magsasaka  Agri PMPC

Nagkakaisang Magsasaka - an outstanding cooperative

From Philstar - NE fast becoming the rice hybrid capital of the Philippines

From Landbank - Nagkakaisang Magsasaka  wins first place in Gawad Pitak award, gets P500,000 in fixed asset prize.


The Nagkakaisang Magsasaka Primary Agricultural Multipurpose Cooperative  headed by Ricardo Buenaventura was featured in SNSK (Suwak na Suwak sa Kabuhayan) featured in Channel 2.

The feature was sponsored by Land Bank of the Philippines.

Boosting rice production with SL -8 rice variety

Securing tomorrow's food security through agri tech



SL 18 assures stable income for farmers through 250 to 300 cavans/hectare yield

Henry Lim Bon Liong head of the of the SL Agritech, and  Sterling Paper products bet the family fortune to produce high yield rice variety during former Pres Erap. The yield is 3x the yield of rice under Masagana 99.

When I met Henry Lim Bon Liong at Go Negosyo, he told us that net income per hectare was conservatively at P100t per hectare:   sales of P150t less P50t  farm inputs.   That would translate to P50t x planting season (at irrigated farm) = P300t per year.  If you have 10 hectares this would yield P3 million year.  He have achieved the dream of having millionaire farmers as in Korea and Japan (without having govt subsidy)



Dr. Frisco Malabanan and bountiful rice harvest.  There coul be 400 seeds per uhay

Welcome to the Food Security in the Philippines site

Two days ago, I was in Isabela, one of the places in the Philippines where there is plenty of rice.  However, people were lining up for cheaper NFA rice.

These are some issues to be tackled in this blog?

1.  Why should rice prices be high in a province that produces rice

2.  Why do we have to import rice when:

   MIndoro, Iloilo, Mindanao, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan, Isabela produce rice.  Well we have typhoons but nevertheless we can overcome this if we have planning of areas in the Phil that are not hit by typhoon