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 […]

DA-Agricultural Training Institute and DA-PhilRice Bicol recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Rice Business Innovation System (RiceBIS).  The system is intended to introduce new ideas, workflows, and methodologies or services in rice production and business.  Despite the onset of COVID-19 pandemic last year and a 2,175ha (2.5%) reduction in the harvest area in the first semester of 2020, palay production in the region attained a 10.74% increase in […]

DA-PhilRice Midsayap graced the ceremonial distribution of inbred rice seeds to farmers during the 2nd Founding Anniversary of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Jan. 12. Senior development staffer Ommal H. Abdulkadil said the gesture is a testament to the steadfast partnership of the station and the BARMM Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform in support of the region’s rice industry. For the 2021 wet season, qualified […]

Agriculture Sec. William D. Dar affirms Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, former executive director of Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), as new assistant secretary in an oath taking ceremony in Quezon City, Jan. 8. Sebastian, who was PhilRice executive director from July 2000 until July 2008, was also designated as undersecretary and chief of staff of the agriculture department. Leading PhilRice, Sebastian strengthened and mobilized the national […]

The continuous global upsurge of Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) and its variants has led government institutions like DA-PhilRice to adopt stringent protocols to prevent its spread. Executive Director John C. de Leon issued  guidelines under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), Modified ECQ (MECQ), and General CQ (GCQ) in memorandums issued in 2020. Highlights of the guidelines focus on the use of the main entrance gate, DA-PhilRice Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (PEMCO) […]