Written by Myriam G Layaoen   Now that the world`s energy is rather weakening than multiplying in supply, the fuel-dependent rice farming is compromised. Maximizing what’s available may sound rational but converting farm wastes into useful energy is even better. What more if you could produce two kinds from a single source? Inspired by this conviction, PhilRice scientist and engineer, Ricardo Orge and team explored ways to recover the heat […]

It was a different kind of Valentine`s Day for PhilRice-Midsayap researcher Gina Balleras. While others received flowers and chocolates, she, on the other hand, bagged six awards from an international conference. On February 14, Balleras received the Outstanding Research Leader Award for 2014 during the International Conference on Climate Change, Ecology and Conservation (ICCCEC) organized by the International Association of Multidisciplinary Research (IAMURE) in Macau, China. Balleras` paper titled, Aboveground […]

Written by Chona Mae S Narvadez   The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has promoted the long-grain, white Mestizo rice in the past. The present, however, belongs to the fast becoming popular brown rice, available at PhilRice as Beautiful Brown rice. Consumers are guaranteed of consistent product quality as PhilRice uses only select varieties for its Beautiful Brown rice product. These varieties are backed by sensory tests and proven by […]

Written by Chona Mae S Narvadez   From rice that you can eat to rice that you can`t eat.  Find the latest rice and its related products on FB and like www.facebook.com/philriceproducts as source of information on what’s available at PhilRice stores. There is something for everyone on the page. Seed growers are updated on the available seeds, while researchers, students, and farm managers are informed on the latest book […]

Written by Chona S Narvadez   Rice is a great companion when eating morning, noon, and night. But rice, fermented into Tapuy wine, is an even fun friend when you wish to celebrate, relax, and unwind. PhilRice Tapuy satisfies your thirst With 14% alcohol, Tapuy rice wine gives just the right level of inebriation, with no hangovers and allergies the morning after. Traditionally used by our forefathers for important occasions […]

Written by Myriam G Layaoen   In Abra’s sloping upland areas, when it rains, it pours. This applies not only for water, but also for the topsoil where nutrients to nurture the plants thrive. But during dry seasons, the water becomes scarce, the soil, non-arable. This leaves upland rice farmers empty-handed for a period. As ironic as it is, the Philippines regularly hosts typhoons yet experiences water deficiency for crop […]

Written by Ginalyn V Arbutante   To 50-year old Bernardo G. Paña, the best way to increase farm yields and income is to integrate duck raising into rice farming. “Mang Nardo,” as his friends and neighbors call him, has been into farming for 21 years. According to him, rice-duck farming is an effective system to maximize resources in a farm, which eventually results to increased profits. Mang Nardo said that […]

Written by Charisma Love B Gado   The gun, bomb, and rope. For Evelyn Martin, a househelp and grandmother of three aged from 5 to 9 months, these symbols are enough for her to never try Genetically Modified products. “Why would I eat that food if these posters show me that GMO is bad for my health? I might get crazy and kill myself through gun or rope like in […]

Written by the Administrator   If we owe the future to our children, then why are we afraid of tools that have the potential to help make the world a better place for them? Instead of working together to utilize science for the welfare of all, a “war” had been subtly fought in the field of biotechnology since scientists at the University of Washington developed the first genetically modified (GM) […]

Written by Jaime A Manalo IV   There is a massive internet information about the perceived horror related to patenting life forms, plants included. In her 1998 book, Biopiracy: The plunder of nature and knowledge, Indian activist Vandana Shiva explores the struggles of Third World countries to protect their crops and indigenous knowledge. Shiva asks thought-provoking questions in her monograph such as “Can life be made?” and “Can life be […]