Rice production is very vital regardless of major disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, especially because rice is a necessity. That is why despite hurdles, those who are tasked to increase rice production through hybrid rice persevere. Before the pandemic, Dr. Fidel Ramos, senior science research specialist at DA-PhilRice Isabela, related that their three-hectare parental seed production area in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya was already difficult to reach when there is typhoon […]

As vaccination against COVID-19 rises, in-person interactions are booming up even as isolations and physical distancing are at times taken for granted. Despite this welcome development, neurologist Dr. Konstantinos Petsanis worried that in life post-pandemic, “mental health repercussions regarding what is happening during this pandemic for people, today and beyond, will really be a problem in general.”  Data in 2020 suggest that Filipinos have the third highest rate of mental […]

When they lost their jobs because of the pandemic, licensed massage therapist Aila Grospe and her business consultant-husband Pierangelo Alejo were faced with the challenge to look for new sources of income.  Remembering her family’s 1.3-ha farm, which they did not till for 15 years since her father passed away, Aila convinced her husband to try their hands in farming. With their two children, they decided to leave Alabang, Muntinlupa […]

There’s a hostile projection for companies that do not adopt new technologies. John Chambers, former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, estimated that “at least 40% of all businesses will die in the next 10 years… if they don’t figure out how to change their entire company to accommodate new technologies.” Thinking ahead even before Chambers’ prediction, DA-PhilRice has envisioned a digitally transformed system that will not only benefit […]

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 […]