Most Filipino rice farmers are normally engaged in a single income source to support their family needs. Growing rice and selling it as fresh palay to traders is habitual for them in getting immediate cash returns. For Johnny C. Escote, 54, from Central Glad, Midsayap, North Cotabato, it’s not yet too late to try rice business, in fact, it’s the best time to initiate one knowing that buying price of […]

The rice farms of Alex Audencial, 56, in Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija have been producing high palay yields since 2020. This season, he profited P70,000 from his less than a hectare-farm, which he credits to good farming practices that include strict farm monitoring. “Religiously monitoring the field is very important in rice farming. It is the key to attending to the needs of the rice crops at the right time,” […]

Learning to improve rice production is now made more fun and interactive with the recent launch of a digital campaign dubbed “Palaywakin ang Galing: yunPALAYun” to promote the technologies and services of  the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP). Dr. Karen Eloisa T. Barroga, vice chair of the RCEF- RESP Technical Working Group, said that the campaign name – a word play of palay and palawakin (expand), signifies the RCEF-RESP’s purpose […]

Implementers of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Seed program have started to roll out certified inbred seeds to early planters in the Cordillera Autonomous Region and Region II. The program, which is expected to benefit more than 74,000 rice farmers in four provinces, has already distributed over 7,000 bags to early planters in Nueva Vizcaya. As part of seed distribution, farmers were briefed on modern rice farming practices […]

DA- PhilRice and its seven branch stations showcased modern rice technologies during its biggest series of technology demonstrations called PalaySikatan under the RCEF-Seed Program. PalaySikatan bolstered collaborative partnerships among provincial and municipal local government units together with DA-RFOs in implementing RCEF activities in 53 provinces with 99 sites. Agusan del Sur Vice Governor Samuel E. Tortor, who is new in rice farming, said “the technology demonstration educated me and increased […]

Around 100 farmers from Datu Paglas, Maguindanao were enrolled in the PhilRice Text Center (PTC), May 14. The PTC promotion activity was conducted during the RCEF seed distribution and technical briefing. The farmers actively participated in the interactive activity where the purpose and registration process of the PTC was explained. The local officials also welcomed the activity as the whole Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is still in […]

Golden Rice, a type of rice that contains beta-carotene (a source of vitamin A), is now in the final stage of biosafety regulatory assessments. Once it gets the permit for commercial propagation anytime soon, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) will be preparing for its deployment initially on a pilot scale in areas where malnutrition, especially vitamin A deficiency, is high. Now, the question that people ask is: […]

Some 180 rice farmers have joined the Participatory Technology Demonstration activities under the ongoing Rice-Based Farming Technology Transfer Program for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). DA-PhilRice Midsayap station, and BARMM’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform are undertaking the program funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The farmers established varietal trials on Kiraban Kapucao, Upland Dinorado, NSIC Rc27, Dinorado Premium, and Sakilan at test sites […]

Members of the Marasat Grande and Dagupan RiceBIS Association (MarDag) in San Mateo, Isabela were willing to be together, let alone committed to doing things as a group. The rice business lane PhilRice Isabela started to promote RiceBIS in 2017 in San Mateo, inviting 33 barangay captains to serve as farmer-cooperators. In the end, only Jose V. Guillermo from Brgy. Marasat Grande and Diosdado S. Sagaysay from Brgy. Dagupan qualified […]

Farmers’ harvest of 4.626M mt in Jan-March 2021 is 8.6% higher than the same period in 2020 and also breaks the 2018 Q1 record harvest. Secretary William D. Dar expressed optimism that, barring destructive typhoons and other natural calamities, the record first-quarter achievement will help hit the 20.4M mt palay production target this year. Dar commended rice farmers, local government technologists and leaders, including industry stakeholders nationwide for this achievement […]