Jenipher Onera, a recent farm school owner, charts a remarkable course from overseas Filipino worker (OFW) to a successful rice educator; thanks to the emblematic impact of her thirst for knowledge nourished by Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF RESP). After 18 years as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), she returned to her hometown in Batac, Ilocos Norte when her mother […]

The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF RESP) is intensifying its efforts to enhance the skills of trainers from learning sites and farm schools in the Ilocos Region.  Nonilon I. Martin, RCEF extension focal, said they are expanding their outreach to include more trainers, aiming to strengthen their capacity to assist farmers in addressing field challenges and adopting mechanized operations in rice production. “We aim to encourage […]

The  rice paddy art of Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte was unveiled Sept. 6 showcasing the merging of cultural heritage and sustainable farming practices,  A collaboration between Ilocos Norte Agricultural College (INAC),  Mariano Marcos State University, and Philippine Rice Research Institute, the rice paddy art was created using traditional IR 1552 purple rice and high-yield NSIC Rc 222 variety. A first for INAC, the artwork featured in […]

The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF RESP) has responded to the information needs of farmers in Adams – the smallest town in Ilocos Norte. According to Nonilon Martin, RCEF extension focal, the town’s rice growers led by Municipal Agriculturist Clarita Tigui-ing, requested the program implementers in Batac City, Ilocos Norte to help them increase their yield currently at almost 4t/ha. The province’s average yield is almost […]

Farmers in San Manuel, Pangasinan have resolved nutrient deficiencies in their rice fields with the learning gained from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Services Program (RESP). “[We didn’t know what was infecting our field]. We already applied all kinds of pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides but were not effective. We only learned that our field lacks zinc when the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Batac City and our […]

Farmers expressed interest in adopting mechanized direct dry seeding shown during the Farmers’ Festival in Batac City, Ilocos Norte. One of the featured technologies was the multi-purpose seeder (MP seeder), a device attached to a hand tractor that direct-seeds rice, corn, and mungbean. According to Engr. Richard Pungtilan, Batac City Building Officer and one of the participants, MP seeder is favored because of its seeding rate of 40-60kg/ha. The usual […]

Farmers in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte have found a new income stream through oyster mushroom production they recently learned from a training on rice-based crop diversification or Palayamanan. Joemarie Calulot, one of the farmer-trainees, said that they used to earn a monthly income of PhP10,000- PhP12,000 from rice farming and vegetable production. When they began producing and selling oyster mushrooms and fruiting bags, their monthly income increased to PhP18,000-PhP20,000. Calulot, one […]

Rayuray Brown Rice, a brand assisted by DA-PhilRice Batac, gained better-than-expected sales from 1.75 tons to 10t, sold at P60/kg in just two months. Rayuray Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (RFAC) in Batac City, Ilocos Norte reported a jump in sales from PhP16,000 in 2021 to PhP200,000 in 2022, in which the 10t-sales were achieved in August and September. “The significant increase came from the intensified promotion of consumption of brown rice. […]

Through the DA-PhilRice Batac Farm Wise project’s localized weather updates and advisories, farmers in Region 1 have improved their farm decision-making, which resulted in good crop stands. The project generates localized weather forecasts and crop advisories, and delivers them to the farmers. The 10-day localized weather outlook from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is categorized per municipality for Ilocos Norte/Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan. Data are […]

To enhance the competitiveness of rice farmers, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) in Ilocos Norte and the local government unit of Piddig tied up in promoting high-yielding varieties and cost-reducing technologies through a Farmer Field School (FFS). The FFS showcased a nationally recommended high-yielding inbred variety, NSIC Rc 160, and newly-released varieties NSIC Rc 508 and Rc 512, which yield from 5.6 to 10.8t/ha.   Cost-reducing technologies for […]