PhilRice Batac and Isabela have renewed their commitment to excellence, a core value that has been at the center of their operations, during their 25th and 32nd anniversary, respectively. With a month-long theme, “DA-PhilRice Batac@25: Navigating Milestones, Cultivating Excellence,” the station highlighted its celebration through its Pammadayaw awarding ceremony, held on Feb. 22, to honor its exceptional employees and partners. In 2023, PhilRice Batac, under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund […]

Palayamanan Plus model farm in PhilRice Midsayap will launch hydroponics as an additional component in its set-up this March. Ommal Abdulkadil, lead of the station’s Branch Development Initiatives, said that by testing the new component in their locality, they aim to evaluate its potential to enhance farmers’ income from rice-based crops. This will be achieved by transitioning from manually fabricated hydroponics using PVC pipes to advanced technology hydroponics. He added […]

Youth in Naga City and Los Baños have appreciated modern, easy rice cultivation through mobile apps and modern farm machines during their visit to the PhilRice stations.  About 350 students and educators of the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture in Naga City learned ICT tools including apps namely PalayCheck, Binhing Palay, Minus-One-Element Technique (MOET), Leaf Color Chart (LCC), e-Damuhan, and Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service, on Dec. 18, 2023.  […]

The PhilRice Midsayap Admin group is boosting station operations by updating R4DE staffers on government procurement policies in preparation for 2024 operations. In October, the Property Management Unit presented updates on RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act. The briefing aimed to improve the acumen and skills of study and project leaders for a more efficient planning and implementation of their R4DE workloads. The Admin group likewise led the […]

Members of the RCEF Extension team took part in the annual review and planning workshop to brace themselves for an optimal execution of program plans on Dec. 6-8 at the St. Isidore The FARMer Resort, Sta. Ana, Pampanga.  Dr. Karen Eloisa Barroga reflected on achievements and areas for improvements, and challenged the group to be agile and to work as a team.  She also emphasized the importance of engaging stakeholders […]

PhilRice Isabela has conducted a refresher training course for graduates of the Training of Trainers program under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF RESP),  Nov. 15- 23.  Thirty trainers, consisting of facilitators from farm schools and State Colleges and Universities, finished the course at the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center II (ATI-RTC II) in San Mateo, Isabela.  Dr. Andres dela Cruz Jr., RCEF coordinator, underscored the […]

Public agencies in Region II and Cordillera showed unity in assisting farmers become agripreneurs during the regions’ launching of RiceBIS 2.0 in Dupax Del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Nov. 16. The event, held concurrently with the mass graduation of four batches of Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP), strengthened the ties among key stakeholders including the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), […]

To address soaring prices of fertilizers and optimize its application, RCEF Seed Program has introduced sets of fertilizer recommendations to its partner local government units in Western and Central Visayas. These recommendations were derived from a thorough soil analysis conducted by PhilRice using the Minus-One-Element Technique (MOET) kit and app.  The app facilitates farmers in obtaining answers to queries regarding the appropriate fertilizer type and optimal application timing. Implementing MOET-based […]

PhilRice Negros recently awarded local government units with excellent performance during the 2023 wet season implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed and Extension programs.  Selection was based on their actual distribution percentage compared to their delivery rate. This assessment considered syncing the physical inventory with the RCEF-Seed Monitoring System and LGU participation during deliberations. LGUs that fully cooperated with the syncing process were commended for their crucial […]

Dr. Kyu Seong Lee, director of the Korea Program for International Cooperation in Agricultural Technology (KOPIA) Philippine Center and vice administrator of Rural Development Administration (RDA) in Korea, has encouraged local government units and the academe in Bicol to increase productivity in saline-prone agricultural areas. In the seminar titled, “Salinity Tolerance in rice: Exploring mechanisms and advancing productivity through effective management strategies,” Lee shared the practices implemented by South Korea […]