Roel Pagana from Tayabas City, Quezon increased his yield by 1t/ha by using certified inbred seeds and following recommendations from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). A farmer for three decades, Pagana planted new varieties such NSIC Rc 402 and new, pure seeds, which he received from RCEF Seed Program. Before the program, he used to rice seeds from previous harvest. From the usual harvest of barely achieving 4t/ha, his […]

TeknoTalakayan. A new sharing and learning activity under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program provided venue for the beneficiaries to convey their experiences to fellow farmers. Recently, Nolasco Ilas, farmer-cooperator and machine operator, reported that using combine harvester made his work easier. With this machine, he only employed four to five farm hands compared with the usual 15-20 to finish a hectare in one day. TeknoTalakayan of the […]

Romeo Ferrer, 65, and Florante De Luna, 50, from Gumaca, Quezon used to spend a lot of time and money to transplant the one-hectare land they each owned. But when they began using mechanical transplanters, things started to change for the better. They have been religiously following the recommended practices and technologies they learned through their engagement as farmer-cooperators of the PalaySikatan technology demonstration last 2021 wet season. They are […]

Jorge Acero, 56, clearly remembers this line from his youngest son after graduating in 2018. He has spent 23 years abroad – 8 years in Saudi Arabia and 15 years in Qatar. Thanks to his son’s prodding; he is now a happy, contented farmer-returnee. On February 29, 2020, Acero arrived in the Philippines after resigning from his work abroad since all his three children have already graduated. He decided to […]

Sixty two-year-old Rodolfo Tibayan from Naic, Cavite saved P20,000 on agricultural inputs from his 1.8-hectare land in the recent cropping season through new farming techniques. He shared that letting his land rest for two to three months before plowing, allowing the rice straws to serve as organic fertilizer, was a big factor.  Tibayan describes himself as a traditional farmer. He usually uses manual plowing and fertilizer application – methods he […]

DA-PhilRice Los Baños has fully achieved its targeted delivery of 99,100 sacks of RCEF seeds and 41,800 tekno-kalendaryo to 79 municipalities in Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon for the 2022 dry season before the end of 2021. Thanks to the DA-Region IV-A and the LGUs of the RCEF-covered municipalities for their assistance. The LGUs also oversee the distribution of the seeds and calendars. Despite the distances and narrow roads that posed […]

The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Seed and Extension Programs conducted Social Mobilization and CapacityBuilding Workshops in September through October 2021. With 145 participants from local government units (LGUs) of Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon, the workshops laid out challenges and opportunities for better RCEF implementation. According to Senior Agriculturist Sheryl M. Sinense of Tagkawayan, Quezon, the workshop made her aware of the challenges other municipalities are facing during seed […]