SL Agritech Corporation
SL Agritech Corporation (SLAC) is a private company engaged in the research, development, production and distribution of hybrid rice seed and premium quality rice in the Philippines. Inspired by the success of China to overcome food shortages shortly after the postwar era, the Lim family spearheaded by Henry Lim Bon Liong sought and obtained the assistance of Prof. Yuan Long Ping to develop hybrid rice varieties suitable to tropical conditions prevalent in the Philippines. The personal commitment of the person widely regarded as the “father” of hybrid rice laid the foundation that dictated the direction and growth of the company and gave it a unique position in the development of hybrid rice technology in the Philippines.
SLAC was established in September 2000 under the ownership and management of Sterling Paper Group of Companies. Although relatively new in the rice industry, SLAC has proven its competitive edge in the local and international platform. Apart from it being an ISO-certified rice company, it is also the largest local hybrid rice seed company not only in the Philippines but in tropical Asia, and a market leader in premium quality rice. SLAC is the first local company to export high quality milled rice in the Philippines.
SLAC’s very first proprietary hybrid rice seeds, SL-8H Super Hybrid Rice Seeds initially released in the Philippines in 2002, marked the start of the company’s expansion and development of its marketing organization. SL-8H has then on proved to be the leader in terms of yield versus other hybrid rice seeds in the market with a potential yield of 7 to 14 tons and a record-yield of 17 tons per hectare. With its tremendous success, neighboring Asian countries – Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia have adopted the SL-8H hybrid rice seeds technology.
Following the success of SL8-H, SLAC introduced in 2004 a brand that will carry out its new line of hybrid rice varieties, the Doña Maria Premium Quality Rice, named after the Lim family’s visionary matriarch. Doña Maria Premium Quality Rice is one of the leading rice brands in the Philippines. It has six (6) variants—Jasponica, Jasponica Brown, Jasponica White Plus Brown, Jasponica Congee, Miponica, and Miponica Brown. Jasponica is a variety that combines the aroma of Jasmine rice and the excellent eating quality of Japanese rice while Miponica has the unique texture of Milagrosa and Japanese rice. The brown rice varieties are healthy and rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin B complex, magnesium, and selenium. Jasponica Brown possesses a nutty and chewy texture whereas Miponica Brown is soft and full to the bite. To make brown rice more appealing to children, Doña Maria developed Jasponica White Plus Brown rice—the perfect balance of delicious white and healthy brown rice. The congee variety is a sticky rice variant which makes excellent porridge and risottos.
Recently, SLAC also introduced another brand, the Willy Farms, named in memory of the brother of Henry Lim Bon Liong, which has three variants-Long Grain Japanese Textured Rice, Sticky Jasmine Rice, and Premium Dinorado.
Two other proprietary hybrid seeds are SL-12H and SL-18H which were developed as SLAC strives to cater to varied soil and weather conditions while still delivering a superb and stable yield upon harvest.
See also
References
- "SL Agritech Corporation." (accessed on May 31, 2016).