The Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) led by Dr. Feng Zhang, CABI Regional Director for East and South-East Asia (first from the right) and Philippine Rice Research Institute represented by Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang, deputy executive director for research (first from the left), spearheaded recent discussions on improving the institutions’ partnership on controlling fall armyworm (FAW). This emerging insect pest used to only infest corn, but it […]

Making machinery available and accessible to more farmers is a big challenge, but thanks to our partner manufacturers, it became possible. The two-decade partners PhilRice and Guimba, Nueva Ecija-based Val Agri signed a licensing agreement in 2020 to manufacture and commercialize the machines for land preparation and post-harvest, such as microtiller, laboy tiller, reversible flatbed dryer, and seed cleaner. Microtiller is a lightweight equipment used for tilling small-sized paddies, while […]

Many of us, if not most, tend to look for the exception rather than become exceptional. That is to paraphrase my favorite author and leadership guru, John C. Maxwell. If truly “everything rises and falls on leadership” most of the time, then why would we rather beat on the bush than grab that chance to lead others well beyond all expectation? One reason perhaps lies in the uncertainty of a […]

A. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.  reiterated DA’s support to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) as it stands united in its pledge to deliver transparent, accurate, and reliable information to the public. B. Communication heads from various DA agencies participate in the discussion in the Food Security Cluster Communication Workshop 2024 , which seeks to broaden and deepen the understanding of government communicators and media practitioners on the […]

Agricultural innovation is pivotal in addressing global food challenges. When fully realized, it empowers societies and boosts economies by increasing productivity, reducing production costs, enhancing climate change resilience and mitigation, fostering community-driven solutions, and actively involving farmers in the different pages of the rice value chain, among other things. Harnessing all forces within the innovations system, PhilRice continues to empower rice farmers through science driven and market-oriented innovations, ultimately transforming […]

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) is spearheading an initiative to cultivate appreciation among Manila-based reporters and communications heads for rice production, while raising awareness of data-driven rice science and technology. In response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call to revolutionize agriculture with data-driven systems, the initiative enables journalists to understand rice production intricacies and communicate these effectively to the public through credible reporting on rice or “riceponsible” reporting. “This […]