At long last, farmers are now being encouraged to think that business can go beyond merely selling fresh palay at the mercy of traders. Through the DA-PhilRice’s Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) Community Program, the mentality has taken shape as select rice farmers’ groups now pride themselves with their best-selling rice and rice-based products. Check them out! Brown rice Also called “pinawa,” these are milled but unpolished grains of any […]

Claiming subsidies from the government is a pleasure; but waiting in a long queue is a pressure. This is why through digital technology, the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Seed Program has reduced farmers’ “agony” in seed distribution areas. Documentation reports during the program’s first year of implementation show farmers waiting in long lines before finally getting their bags of certified inbred rice seeds. With Binhi e-Padala, a digital voucher system […]

Rice, the grain that feeds half of the world’s population, is as old as civilization — since the first man raised his voice in song and incantation in times of plenty, famine, and pandemics. It is of little wonder then that “Filipinos eat rice with almost everything, and normally with more than just one cup, three times a day — it’s the staple that completes the meals on the table. […]

Farmer Orlando B. Cruz, 58, from Guiguinto, Bulacan, harvested 9.6t/ha and earned PhP84,800 by planting NSIC Rc 436 he received from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Seed Program of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). His farm also served as one of the PalaySikatan technology demonstration sites of the municipality. As the program continuously educates rice farmers on modern technologies, Mang Orlando seized this […]

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 […]

Training the rice specialists so they can help farmers become more competitive is one of the objectives of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Rice Extension Services Program. With rice specialists becoming more competent, fully equipped, and having the heart to help farmers, the country’s rice industry can flourish. Wilmar Ompoc, one of the Rice Specialists’ Training Course (RSTC) trainees, has always been eager to acquire knowledge to manage […]

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 […]

The continuous type rice hull carbonizer (CT-RHC) developed by DA-PhilRice is boosting livelihood opportunities for rice farmers who use the heat from the carbonization process as alternative energy source. Rice hull is often seen as a mere waste material. But DA-PhilRice experts led by Dr. Ricardo Orge have developed the carbonizer that harnesses rice hull as biomass feedstock. The carbonizer converts rice hull into biochar. It is used as soil […]

Farmers who graduated from the Farmer Field School (FFS) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) reported that the training courses and the PalayCheck primers helped in increasing their yield. “The PalayCheck primer has been our guide in modern rice farming. It tackles topics from seed selection to post-harvest. It is  my routine to read first the primer before visiting my farm every morning,” Edgard […]

Jerry Respicio, a 53-year-old rice farmer from Aglipay, Quirino, saved P5,500 in labor cost and increased his harvest by 30cav (50kg each) when he used precision seeder in planting. “Before, I spent at least P10,000 for manual transplanting. This was reduced to P4,500 when I practiced direct seeding through the precision seeder introduced to us. My plants also grew healthy and uniformly,” Respicio said. He added that his harvest increased […]