Written by the Web Team
Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., executive director of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), had expressed his excitement over the Institute’s 27th anniversary and confidence in the Institutes’ role in achieving the country’s rice self-sufficiency target in 2013.
“Achieving rice self-sufficiency will come from two things: irrigation and good seed. By irrigation, you can actually increase yield by an average of 2 tons per hectare. We are also pushing the use of hybrid seeds to farmers. Hybrid trials show better yield compared with the best inbred varieties,” Rasco said.
Last year, Department of Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala commended PhilRice for living up to the challenge of leading the country’s rice research and development agenda.
“We hope to create and sustain a culture of continuing improvement among the staff not only to match the accomplishments in the past but also to enjoin everyone to share in the realization of our corporate vision – the green and smart rice farming,” Rasco said.
Rasco said green farming includes the technologies that reduce input such as energy and postharvest losses while smart rice cultivation covers labor-reducing and knowledge-intensive technologies.
Creativity and imagination, he said, are also needed for the Institute to be able to achieve more in the coming years.
“More than quantity, it is the quality of manpower that will matter,” Rasco said.
To enhance the technical knowledge and enrich the moral of the employees, a series of talks, seminars, and activities will be conducted.
A fun run will kick-off the celebration to promote health and fitness, Nov. 5.
PhilRice will also recognize its scholars, workers, and researchers who have shown outstanding performance in the past years through the Dangal ng PhilRice awarding ceremony. Nov. 7.
A medical mission will also be held, Nov. 8, as the Institute’s way of giving back and showing gratitude to the community.
PhilRice, with its Central Experiment Station in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, is the frontrunner in local rice research and development.
