More than a thousand farmers under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union updated their knowledge on rice at the recent Lakbay Palay conducted at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
“As farmers, we are one of the most important workers in the society because rice is a Filipino staple food. Let us be [riceponsableng farmers by adopting new technologies]. Let us inspire one another to be riceponsible,” said Virginia Sesay, keynote speaker and social welfare officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 1 Field Office
Lakbay Palay, an annual event of PhilRice Batac, showcased mushroom production, GulayCheck, vermicompost, farm machines, and adaptability trials of newly-released inbred rice varieties.
The station also featured the public hybrid and nationally-recommended inbred varieties, performance trials of micro-nutrient-dense elite lines for irrigated lowland, wind and solar energy for crop irrigation and lighting, and Rice Science Museum.
Farmer-participants were also briefed on how to be riceponsible as part of the activities for the Rice Awareness Month celebration.
“I hope you will practice in your field the knowledge and experiences you gained here,” Reynaldo C. Castro, Batac Branch Director, said.
