United for rice. Supporting the National Year of Rice (NYR 2013), hundreds of Santiagueños in Isabela pledged to save rice during the Pattaraday festival, May 2.  Pattaraday, which means unity in Ybanag, is a celebration of the founding anniversary of Santiago City. Although Isabela is one of the country’s top 10 provinces cited as 2012 Agri-Pinoy Rice Achiever, its residences vowed to “eat what we could only consume and eat […]

Written by the Web Team   A bite for health; a toast for culture. The Asian Institute of Management Conference Center Manila and the Food for Life Bistro Concept Company, Inc. recently held a Tapuy Cooking and Cocktail Concoctions and Brown Rice Cooking Competition in Makati City. Fostering the advocacy of the National Year of Rice (NYR 2013), contest judge Alvin Lim said the “event doesn’t only show talents in […]

More hope. Farmers in Paracelis, Mountain Province are hopeful that their lands could be more productive after joining the season-long training on Palayamanan, a diversified integrated rice-based farming system. About 140 farmers from other parts in the Cordillera Administrative Region had graduated from the recently concluded training. Democrito B. Rebong II, branch manager of PhilRice Isabela, said the newly developed partnership with farmers will hopefully create a more progressive rice […]

Written by the Web Team   Weather consultant of one of the country’s big media network had urged local governments to support the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in promoting its technologies to the farmers. “I see good technologies that could help mitigate climate change while touring  around the PhilRice’s experimental fields. I hope that farmers will learn more of these technologies through the local government units across the country,” […]

Written by the Web Team   Bound by a commitment. Six private seed companies sealed their pledge to help the country become rice self-sufficient through commitment signing during the recent 1st National Hybrid Rice Congress. Representatives from SL Agritech Corporation, Bioseed Research Philippines, and Bayer CropScience said that they support the National Year of Rice 2013 (NYR 2013) by being a government’s “active partner in hybrid rice breeding work.” Syngenta, […]

What option do we have to provide enough food for the world? Prof. Yuan Long Ping, China’s national treasure and father of hybrid rice, said “waterfalls” rice or varieties with grains overflowing from the panicle of the “super hybrid rice,” could address the world’s problems on food sufficiency. The overflowing grains, which he likened into cascades of water that stream toward a bounty, have potential yield of 13.5 t/ha. Developed […]

Written by the Web Team   An official of the Department of Agriculture had stressed that active partnership between the public and private sector will bring the “best seed to the rice farmer.” Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr. executive director of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said a more sustained research and development (R&D) activities will increase the adoption of hybrid rice – varieties that are at least 1 […]

Written by the Web Team   In response to the youth exodus away from agricultural communities, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) tries to engage the youth in rice farming through its Lakbay-Palay, a biannual event showcasing the latest rice production technologies, held on April 5. “It is high time we actively engage young people as allies in rice farming,” PhilRice executive director Eufemio T. Rasco Jr said. Recognizing the […]

Written by the Web Team   Made in Korea. Dasanbyeo, a Korean variety, is showing good performance in the Philippine soil, Rommel V. Alday (R) informs Dr. Jeong-Taek Lee, director of Korean Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA) Center in the Philippines, and about 50 fellow farmers.  According to Alday, the Korean variety being tested in Bantug, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija has good crop stand and good number of […]

Written by the Web Team   Seed machine for bounty. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (5th from R) and Undersecretary Rosalina Bistoyong (4th from R) of the Department of Agrarian Reform award a rice drum seeder to an Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) representative.  The rice drum seeder is a manually-operated metal machine that seeds pre-germinated rice seeds in straight rows, making fertilizer application and weeding easier for the farmers. Distributed during […]