Written by the Web Team

 

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) urged the new graduates of its Rice Science Training Course (RSTC) and Farmers’ Field School (FFS) to sustain and improve good rice production without depending much on government interventions.

In a recent mass graduation rite conducted at the Institute`s Central Experiment Station in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Ruben B. Miranda, PhilRice officer-in-charge, said training participants, particularly farmers, can improve rice yield by adopting the technologies and practices gained during the course.

“[Now that the government is serious in trying to make ends meet], the challenge is for us to help the government. Let’s think of ways on how to increase our yield with less monetary assistance from the government. We can do this by adopting PalayCheck® and Palayamanan®,” Miranda told the 400 graduates of FFS, in which PalayCheck®, an integrated crop management system for rice, and Palayamanan®, a diversified integrated rice-based farming system, were taught.

Arsenio Parugrug, farmer-innovator and PalayCheck adopter, said he now limits pesticide use as he learned from the 21-weeklong training that “many of the insects I see in my farm are friends, not enemies.”

Meanwhile, farmer Rogelio Gelacio Sr., expressed confidence that entrepreneurs` perceptions of farmers will improve as the farmers who participated in the training will be the “start of higher rice yield in the province.”

FFS trainings in this part of the province were facilitated by 54 rice specialists comprising the sixth batch of the four-month RSTC. The specialists, already deployed in priority upland and rainfed lowland ecosystems, are expected to increase farmers’ yield by at least 4 cav/ha to help the country attain rice self-sufficiency by 2013.

In addition, 41 PhilRice-trained teachers completed the mass graduation. The teachers will impart PalayCheck to pupils from fourth to sixth grade and to high school students with Technology and Livelihood Education subject.

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Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a government corporate entity attached to the Department of Agriculture created through Executive Order 1061 on 5 November 1985 (as amended) to help develop high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

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Philippine Rice Research Institute