To mark its 40th anniversary this November, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is promoting healthier and more mindful food choices through its Healthy@40 campaign, aligning with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call for prioritizing health and nutrition in government plans. Outlined in Memorandum No. 2025-056 released in February, the new guidelines aim to reduce the risks of diet-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes while promoting healthier eating habits […]

PhilRice caters to remote islands–one of which is in Southern Leyte–transformed from being a low-yielding area into a productive rice field. The Institute enhances agricultural productivity by introducing superior crop varieties, adaptive farming technologies, and enhanced crop management strategies. These advancements focus on increasing farmers’ yields and improving rice crop quality, which leads to better harvests, rehabilitation of degraded fields, and increased resilience against climate challenges. Through research, capacity building, […]

A science-led initiative to decode the genomes of 1,001 Philippine traditional rice varieties (TRVs) has been launched, backed by the Department of Agriculture’s National Rice Program (DA-NRP) and Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD). The project called 1k1RG (1,001 PH Rice Genome Project) seeks to improve the productivity and climate resilience of heirloom rice while preserving traits valued for […]

Showing its commitment to Ilocano farmers, DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) Batac has achieved 100% delivery of certified inbred seeds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) for the 2024 wet season. Over 82,000 bags of free certified inbred seeds were distributed to almost 46,000 Ilocos Region farmers, ensuring they have access to high-quality seeds for better yield. PhilRice Batac also intensified its farmer support programs by disseminating rice production […]

To provide an environment-friendly alternative to controlling weeds in rice fields, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has partnered with Japan-based NEWGREEN Inc. for the field testing of a solar-powered robot called Aigamorobo.  Under a Memorandum of Agreement, NEWGREEN Inc. will provide two robot units for testing at PhilRice’s Central Experiment Station in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, which will run from the incoming wet season to next year’s dry […]

The government has extended the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) up to 2031 under the amended Rice Tariffication Law (Republic Act No. 12078), ensuring that its benefits continue to reach farmers nationwide. This decision follows six years since 2019 of RCEF providing rice farmers access to high-quality seeds, modern machinery, affordable credit, and appropriate training programs.  Based on the latest figures from the Rice Seed Monitoring System (RSMS), the RCEF […]