With limited personnel at PhilRice’s satellite station in Samar, Riena D. Namoc has learned how to do various tasks and mastered the art of transitioning from one work to another.

After the approval of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Crop Biotechnology Center (DA-CBC) proposal last year, DA Secretary Manny Piñol has signed the papers for the commencement of its bidding and construction. To be completed next year, the Center will serve as the hub for implementing effective and efficient agricultural biotechnology research and development agenda. The P302M project which is funded by the Public Law-480 program, known as Agricultural Trade Development […]

PhilRice Isabela conducted a two-day skills training on rice-based product processing to capacitate the cluster members of RiceBIS Isabela Community who will engage in enterprise development, June 13-14. The said training will help attain the RiceBIS program’s goal of increasing farmers’ income by linking them to the market. In partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Isabela, farmers were trained in making rice cake and rice wine. The […]

Two PhilRice cookbooks were recognized among the best cookbooks in the world in the 2018 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards held in Yantai, China, May 26-27. The Mushroom Feast: A Collection of Filipino Mushroom Recipes, which features commonly cultivated mushrooms on rice-based farms in the Philippines, won 2nd place in the Truffles and Mushrooms category along with entries from France (1st place) and Sweden (3rd place). The cookbook was edited by […]

German Pangilinan, 60, of Santo Rosario, Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija experienced farming success with NSIC Rc 160, a rice variety developed by PhilRice. But success was not easy for this farmer for 35 years.  Mang German started farming his half hectare farm after graduating from Agricultural Engineering.  Due to diligence and perseverance, he was able to increase his farm into two hectares. “There are times when unfortunate circumstances happen like calamities […]

In preparation for the wet season when pests and diseases are usually prevalent, local farmer technicians (LFTs) from Pangasinan completed a week-long specialized course at the PhilRice Central Experiment Station, June 4-8. Ev P. Angeles, training coordinator of PhilRice’s Technology Management and Services Division, said LFTs are trained to help their fellow farmers in identifying, assessing, and managing major pests and diseases in rice. She said LFTs are model farmers […]

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) launched the new number of its Text Center to make rice information more accessible to farmers. Farmers can now reach the PhilRice Text Center (PTC) through 0917-111-7423. The Text Center agents are available to answer queries about rice seeds and modern farming practices from Monday-Friday, 9 am-5pm. A digital platform, PTC provides daily consultation services to rice farmers around the country through call and SMS. Farm […]

About 20 participants from the world’s second largest and second most-populous continent met the experts at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to know about quality seed production, June 1. Originating from Burkina, Cote d” Ivore, Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Togo, they are trainees of the Quality Breeder and Foundation Seed course of International Rice Research Institute. They toured around PhilRice laboratories and seed marketing area in Science City of Muñoz, […]

Farmers in the upland can raise their harvest through bacteria that was found to increase plant growth rate and yield. Researchers, led by scientist Jayvee A. Cruz of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), discovered that actinomycete (Streptomyces mutabilis), a plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), showed promising results. Based on Cruz’s study, actinomycete, an aerobic bacterium suitable under upland conditions, can increase root dry weight, number of tillers, and root depth of […]