Addressing the need for high-quality seeds in remote areas, the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) has started training farmers in Region 2 and CAR since January. The training, which covers inbred rice seed multiplication and purification, is being conducted to rice growers in Manabo and La Paz in Abra and in the coastal area of Dinapigue, Isabela. “One of our problems in farming is the high cost […]

A farm owner in Guimba, Nueva Ecija gains additional income from establishing a farm school accredited under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP). Myriad Farms owner Viola Fern Sebastian, together with her partner Frianina V. Resplandor, said they have been earning a net income of P100,000 per batch of training after their farm school was accredited by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). “Our farm school […]

Department of Agriculture programs have supported the all-time high rice production of 19.3M MT in 2020 through certified inbred seeds, hybrid rice seeds, and fertilizers.  Analysis released by DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) showed that the sustained government interventions through Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), National Rice Program (NRP), and Rice Resiliency Project (RRP) contributed to the growth in production.  The Philippine Statistics Authority recently released that rice production increased […]

Over 200,000 farmers received certified inbred rice seeds from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program just in time for the scheduled planting in Region 2 and in the Cordillera Autonomous Region. More than 100% of the seed delivery targets were achieved through the partnership among the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice); provincial, municipal, and city local government units (LGUs); lawmakers; DA regional offices; and seed cooperatives. […]

Experts from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) encourage rice farmers to make sure that their crops get sufficient nutrients from tillering to early panicle initiation and flowering. Sandro D. Cañete, science research specialist of PhilRice’s Agronomy, Soils and Plant Physiology Division, emphasized the importance of proper nutrient management during a recent PalayAralan session aired through the Institute’s facebook page. “Rice crops yield more if they get the right […]

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have identified research agenda that will guide the development and implementation of new projects under the Philippines-IRRI Partnership in Rice R4D (PIPRR4D). In a recent seminar-workshop, rice research sector agreed to prioritize proposals covering rice breeding, farm clustering, digital agriculture, and policy analysis. These were identified to complement the “One DA” holistic approach and aligned with One DA’s […]

Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), together with other public and private seed companies, has established technology demonstration  farms on hybrid rice in support of the DA’s Rice Resiliency Project under the administration’s Plant, Plant, Plant Program. This dry season, the Institute has established 19 techno-demo farms nationwide with a total area of 13ha showcasing the public hybrid rice Mestizo 1 or M1 (PSB Rc 72H) and Mestiso 20 […]

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) determined a collaborative agenda and identified priority research for the country’s rice sector for the next five years in a planning workshop, Jan. 27-28. The event, Seminar-Workshop Towards a New Agenda for the Philippines-IRRI Partnership in Rice R4D, is a planning activity under the Philippines-IRRI Partnership in Rice R4D (PIPRR4D). PIPRR4D is a new governance and management system established […]

Truthful labelling of local rice by retailers will remain a national concern unless stringent policies and standards are strengthened and fully enforced. In the November 2020 celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM), Alice B. Mataia, Policy Research and Advocacy Project lead of the DA-PhilRice, underscored the importance of labelling to maintain locally produced rice’s standards of quality, safety, identity, and origin. As the local food system is under […]

DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) urges local government units (LGUs) to enforce proper and truthful labeling in rice for consumers to differentiate locally-produced rice from imported and to strengthen Filipino rice farmers. Alice B. Mataia, lead of PhilRice’s Policy Research and Advocacy project, recommended forming a local task force that would ensure that retailers consistently follow the correct standards in labeling. She explained that specifying rice source in rice packages, […]