The brown plant hopper (BPH), locally known as kayumangging ngusong kabayo, has been reported in 2017 to have wrecked havoc on the rice farms in 18 provinces in the country with an estimated P17.87 million damage. On a per hectare basis, the pest can cause a yield loss of 10- 50% or more on rice. In response to this outbreak, experts from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) have identified […]

The Department of Agriculture (DA) reminds the public to be mindful of their food consumption this holiday season during the culmination of #RICEponsiblePlateChallenge, a social media campaign that encourages consumers to prepare the healthiest and most balanced meal in a plate. “Wastage and eating more of what our body requires are prevalent in this season of food abundance. So we try to lessen this behavior through the prompts we launched […]

Two PhilRice publications were recently named national winners of the 2018 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The first publication titled Mushroom Feast: A Collection of Filipino Mushroom Recipes won in the Mushroom category. The cookbook, featuring mushrooms commonly cultivated on rice-based farms in the country, was edited by Rosaly V. Manaois, Riza G. Abilgos-Ramos, Josefina F. Ballesteros, and Amelia V. Morales of the Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division, together with […]

Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has turned over its training facilities to PhilRice Midsayap through a memorandum of agreement signed on December 11. The facilities include training rooms, a dormitory, and multi-purpose hall contained in about a hectare area. PhilRice will use them to boost its development and extension activities through rice training programs for farmers, seed growers, extension workers, and agricultural technicians. Present during the signing were (from L-R): PhilRice […]

Farmers in Zamboanga Peninsula will soon have better access to quality rice seeds as the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) signed a memorandum of agreement to build the Institute’s second satellite station in Mindanao, December 4. The first satellite station is based in Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon with 96-hectare rice seed production farm. “We are trying our best to […]

PhilRice launched the book, Communicating Climate Change in the Rice Sector, at the opening program of the 2017 National Conference of the Association of Development Communication Educators and Practitioners (ADCEP), December 1. “Rice agriculture is among the sectors most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Yet, it appears that little is written about how to communicate climate change among rice stakeholders, especially the resource-poor farmers,” said Dr. Sailila […]

Over 2,800 farmers, agricultural extension workers, students, and other stakeholders learned new rice and rice-based farming technologies during the farmers’ field days conducted by five PhilRice branch stations. “Our farmers’ field days are one of our ways to bring the technologies to our farmers. They also serve as an opportunity for us to brief our farmers about our new programs that could help them become more competitive by adopting our […]

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) exhibited rice varieties that can help reduce agricultural damages due to climate change during the 13th National Biotechnology Week in Fishermall, Quezon City, Nov. 20-24. “Promoting these varieties is one of the things that we can do to help the farmers,” Dr. Roel R. Suralta, Crop Biotechnology Center (CBC) of the Department of Agriculture, said. The Global Climate Risk Index for 1996-2015 showed that […]

Start them young. The Rice Science Museum of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) recently opened its new exhibition, titled, Wonderful World of Rice, in an attempt to engage the youth as agriculture advocates.

Award-winning actor Piolo Pascual campaigns for the #RICEponsiblePlateChallenge, a social media contest that encourages consumers to eat the right amount of rice and its healthier forms. “We are launching this social media campaign to challenge everyone towards becoming RICEponsible. This is to help our farmers and our country, while promoting better health,” Pascual said. Pascual, a rice ambassador, said that rice should be consumed on appropriate quantity and through their […]