Gymnast and two-time olympic gold medalist, Carlos Edriel P. Yulo is the featured image of DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute’s (DA-PhilRice) 2024 wet season rice paddy art. The 1500㎡ artwork, located at the FutureRice Farm in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, was revealed to more than thousand farmers and students during the Institute’s recent two-day Lakbay Palay. Planted in August using NSIC Rc 596 and the traditional purple rice IR1522, […]

Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced in a recent Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall meeting here that the government is ramping up efforts to expand irrigated land and promote urban agriculture. Represented by Dr. Eduardo L. Lapuz Jr., regional executive director of DA-Regional Field Office III, Tiu Laurel emphasized that the government’s efforts are not just about increasing agricultural production, but also […]

Consumers can now enjoy safer and healthier rice with the launch of GAPproved Rice, a premium product from the farming communities under DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) that meets the highest standards of quality, safety, and care.  Introduced during the Institute’s Lakbay Palay in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on Sept. 18-19, which gathered over a thousand farmers, extension workers, and local government units, GAPproved Rice is a good […]

In its second Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall Meeting, DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) reported its accomplishments to thousand farmers during the Institute’s Lakbay Palay in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Sept. 18-19. A key milestone was achieved this year with the Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) certification of the Manggalang Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (MARBENCO) in Sariaya, Quezon—the first cooperative in the country to receive this certification.  Following MARBENCO’s […]

Maguindanao rice farmers were impressed by the efficiency and precision of the drone seeder introduced at a PalaySikatan site in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Aug. 20. “I was amazed! It’s beyond my expectation that it can broadcast seed over 1 hectare in just 15 minutes. It’s time-saving and reduces production costs for labor and seed,” said 32-year-old farmer Norly A. Odin. “We thought drones were only for military use. Now, my […]

Amid a decline in the number of young Filipinos entering rice farming, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has launched new initiatives to spark interest in agriculture among students.  By involving the youth aged 10-12 in planting the Institute’s rice paddy art this wet season and by establishing a new compact site called RiceSpark, Dr. Karen Eloisa T. Barroga, DA-PhilRice deputy executive director for development, emphasized the importance […]

With the increasing advocacy to educate the youth about agriculture, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) and Kiwanis International-Philippine Luzon District unveiled a compact educational campsite called RICEsParK, established to help cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders. The initiative, launched today, seeks to inspire young “RICEponsible” leaders who are aware of the challenges faced by Filipino farmers and the importance of rice and rice science to the […]

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the RCEF Extension Program have recently been targeted in a deceptive marketing ploy involving the creation of fake accounts.  Since Aug. 2, two pages have surfaced online falsely representing these public institution and government program, promoting a product called “Super Seed Organic Fertilizer” and misleading the public.  The fake pages falsely claim that Dr. Emil Q. Javier, a national scientist, endorsed the fertilizer […]

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently appointed the executive director of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and its new Board of Trustees members. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. swears in Dr. John C. de Leon for his second term as PhilRice executive director on July 30 as the country seeks to boost rice production and support farmers. During his five-year term, de Leon focused not only on science […]

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has issued a warning to rice farmers to closely monitor their fields for major pests, particularly as the wet season exacerbates pest attacks. This caution comes from findings by the Pest Risk Identification and Management (PRIME) Project, a key initiative under the Department of Agriculture aimed at safeguarding crops and preventing significant yield losses. Leonardo V. Marquez, a PhilRice crop protection expert, emphasized the […]