Juanito, 60, owns a 1-hectare rice field that he has been tilling for half of his life. One morning, somebody asks, “Did you know that rice farming will never be the same once we open our country to trade liberalization?” Confused, Juanito drops his jaw, scratches his head, and walks away wondering. When nothing comes to mind, he shrugs the idea off. For farmers like Juanito, caring about their farms […]

In traditional farming, the carabao has to walk 60-80 km to plow a hectare. The patient beast faithfully does this for the rice to grow healthy as a well-prepared land helps in driving away pests and diseases. The interaction between the rice and the carabao is quite knitted that when in human forms, they could have easily poke each other – a playful gesture between friends. So it’s not a […]

Working on a prosperous new year need not be strenuous. For rice farming, gaining abundant harvest and more income may start through a fun tour, easy reading, or clicking on the mouse. So, rev up the year with new knowledge for prosperity! Check out the most convenient and most practical way of learning new knowledge about rice farming: 1. Join Palay-Aralan Palay-Aralan provides a venue for farmers, rice farm owners, […]

No longer we are spared from irking events during tropical storms: immobile automobile stuck in the urban traffic jam and soaked socks of exhausted employees on their way home. What we don’t easily realize is that aside from these microcosm annoyances, the food we eat, most especially rice, are equally affected by such calamities. On a macro level, storms connect common folks’ predicaments to the country’s rice security. Vis-à-vis the […]

The Iloilo City Hall is more than just an edifice housing its top officials and the important documents of the locale. If visitors will look up to see the top of its structure, they will see the bronze statue of a woman holding a bunch of harvested rice. The statue, which is called Lin-ay sang Iloilo (Lady of Iloilo), is said to symbolize Iloilo’s culture, including its abundant rice harvest. […]

“We are left with no better choice. We directly sell to traders our fresh palay right after harvest and content ourselves with the prevailing price they impose on us.” Edwin De Guzman, a farmer in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, expresses this sentiment that many others share. According to Alice Mataia, a senior researcher of PhilRice, the rice farmers’ role in the current rice value chain starts and ends with the production […]

As PhilRice turns 33 this November, some may say that PhilRice is a government agency, productive in terms of rice research for development (R4D). Others may claim that it’s an Institute housing high caliber researchers and staff consistently receiving recognitions and accolades over the years. Still others may point to its being an instrument in the country’s aim to achieve rice security and rice self-sufficiency. While these may contribute to […]

The June 11, 2018 issue of Time Magazine captivated the world’s attention after it featured nearly a thousand drones to form its cover design. Beyond this futuristic cover, the use of technology in medicine, photography, and historical preservation were featured in the special reports uploaded in the magazine’s website. Some of those uses, like aerial photography, are already penetrating the Philippines with different possibilities especially for the agriculture sector. These […]

Imagine luscious ice cream made from fresh buffalo’s milk sandwiched in crackers made from brown rice flour. Healthy and mouth-watering at the same time, BRICS is definitely a better alternative to commercial ice cream sandwich. It is expected to be out in the market by late December 2018. BRICS is born out of a 2016 consumer-driver market study by PhilRice’s Josefina F. Ballesteros, El Shaira A. Labargan, Rosaly V. Manaois, […]