Farm machinery introduced in an ongoing training program under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund were perceived gender-neutral by the women participants. “The machines are comfortable and easy to use. A lot of female farmers I know also want to have their own rice machinery because it makes farming easier,” Lorica Avila of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, said in a hands-on activity on Oct. 5 in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. […]

A parliament member of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was impressed by the field performance of Golden Rice during his Sept. 30 visit to the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) Central Experiment Station in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Hon. Tanvir Shakil Joy, remarked on the good stand of Golden Rice or NSIC 2022 Rc 682 GR2E (Malusog-1) and on its potential as an additional intervention […]

Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Program deploys 17 trainees from Bulacan, Occidental Mindoro, and Oriental Mindoro here for field training following their 8-week online sessions. From Sept. 19 to Oct. 14, trainees’ skills on field problem diagnosis and evaluation and crop management will be enhanced through agro-ecosystem analysis (AESA). They will also undergo hands-on training on rice machinery operations and roguing among other […]

Rice growers in a farm tour conducted by Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) reported that the activity served as an eye opener in improving their field practices. Dubbed Lakbay Palay, the activity showcased technologies from variety selection until mechanization, which some 600 Luzon farmers learned in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on Sept. 14-15. “In a hectare, we use 8-10 sacks of seeds because we thought that […]

From the maiden implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program in 2020 dry season (DS) to 2022 DS, Isabela station of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), with the help of its partner Local Government Units (LGUs), continues to provide certified inbred seeds to rice farmers.  For this 2022 wet season, the station was allocated 152,740 bags of inbred certified seeds for Cagayan […]

Zambales rice farmers expressed positive feedback on the use of direct seeding machineries such as plastic drum seeder and ride-on precision seeder shown in a field day and forum held in Sta. Cruz, Zambales, Sept. 19. According to farmer Juanito Medida, he likes the plastic drum seeder’s precise depth and spacing. With the use of drum seeder, rice grains are seeded in straight rows allowing mechanical weeding in between rows. […]

Practices and technologies that can help farmers save around P23,000 in rice production will be showcased in the Lakbay Palay hosted by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Sept. 14-15. With the theme, “Bukid Tipid Tips, Subukan!” the two-day event will highlight the use of certified seeds of recommended varieties, mechanized farming, and rice-based technologies such as Palayamanan – an integrated farming system, vertical tower garden, and drip-irrigated […]

Trainee-graduates of a recent Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) training who are mostly arm school trainers vowed to be at the frontlines in helping the farmers improve their yield and income through shared learning. In the recent graduation of 34 participants in the training of trainees (TOT), rice specialist Rictor Fortaleza said that the two-week activity has equipped them in educating farmers on modern farm production.  “We went through this […]

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice-President Sara Z. Duterte are featured in a rice paddy art established on Aug. 16 at the FutureRice Farm in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. To be visible after a month, the paddy art is planted with PSB Rc 10 and the traditional purple rice. Attendees in the Lakbay Palay being organized by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) will have […]

Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Seed Program farmer-beneficiaries in Region I reported that the free certified inbred seeds given to them significantly increased rice yield. Elvira Licudine, 68, from Bacnotan La Union, shared that her family was only harvesting 60 sacks of rice. However, when they became RCEF beneficiaries, their harvest had increased from 60 to 100 sacks.  “In spite of typhoon and water shortage in the previous cropping […]