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, […]

Farmers and extension workers expressed contentment with the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) in a recent consultation conducted in Agdangan, Quezon. Marvin Valle, agricultural technician, said that the seed deliveries and distribution in the wet season were well-facilitated and that inbred seed provisions were of high quality. “Farmers and agriculturists noted that RCEF activities were well-coordinated. They also mentioned that the quality of seeds was ‘tested and […]

Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) recently signed a technology transfer agreement with an agricultural machine shop to fabricate and commercialize the Institute’s developed machines. “[Within this agreement], PhilRice becomes the first agency to be issued a Fairness Opinion Report facilitated by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Region 3. It’s not an easy task because four technologies were evaluated,” Leidi Mel B. Sicat, OIC Provincial Science […]

Rice farmers in Bicol region who were affected by typhoon Rolly received 125,445 bags of certified seeds from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Seed Program implemented by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice). Referred as “bags of hope” by PhilRice Bicol Director Victoria Lapitan, the certified inbred seeds were distributed to around 45,000 farmers in Albay, Camarines Sur, Masbate, and Sorsogon. “In these challenging times, government programs are […]