Consumers in San Mateo, Isabela, can soon enjoy safer and higher-quality rice options as the municipality pioneers an ordinance promoting Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP)-certified rice, known as “GAPproved rice.” Ordinance No. 2025-917, introduced through the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) program of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), is the first of its kind in the country. It establishes a model for ensuring that locally produced rice […]

Farmers in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija, will continue to receive support from the Korea Partnership for Agriculture (KOPIA) even after the organization formally ended its operations in the Philippines. The partnership with the Batitang Agricultural Cooperative (BAC) has been extended until August this year, backed by a PhP1 million cash grant to improve postharvest facilities.  KOPIA has also provided Zaragoza farmers with training in sustainable farming, greenhouses for high-value crops, a […]

Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) communities in Tiaong, Quezon, are poised to be the first suppliers of pigmented rice products, including white rice, at the UPLB Techno Hub One-Stop-Shop (UPLB THOSS). In a recent showcase event led by Gregorio Garde, president of the Sintorisan-Behia SWISA Farmers Association, Tiaong RiceBIS communities presented their products to officials from UPLB THOSS, the University of the Philippines Los Baños Business Affairs Office, UPLB Alumni […]

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Foundation granted the farmers under the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) Program in  San Carlos, Negros Occidental with P5.2 million to help them increase their income. Hernan Samson, chair of the farmers’ organization, expressed his gratitude to BPI and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), which houses the program. “It’s a huge blessing for us to obtain a truck, rice mill, and this fund […]

Government agencies and the private sector have united to help expand rice farmers’ market during the Lakbay Palay conducted by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Sept. 27-28. Witnessed by a thousand farmers, the alliance was formed through the launch of “BIDA RiceBIS, Be the rice’s best” movement, in which about 10 entities marked their pledge in a commitment wall. These include the Landbank […]