Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program has taken a significant step forward by allocating over 100,000 bags of certified inbred seeds to Central Luzon.  The program began with a kick-off ceremony in five provinces, with 116, 000 bags of inbred seeds distributed across 115 municipalities.  Aurora province received 9,940 bags, while Bataan is slated to receive 10,723 bags, Bulacan is set to be provided with 26,808 bags, Pampanga with […]

The Central Experiment Station has passed its September ISO external audit and is expected to be re-certified with three ISO standards. These are: ISO 9001 Quality Management System; 14001 Environmental MS and 45001 Occupational Health and Safety MS, which are valid for a fresh 3-year period. The Worldwide Quality Assurance (WQA) Philippines conducted the external audit. All seven branch stations have also passed the same audit, securing ISO 9001 recertification. […]

About 50,000 farmers across the country have learned new technologies from the Lakbay Palay conducted at PhilRice CES and its seven branch stations, and livestreamed in the social media from September to October. Emilita del Rosario, a 60-year-old member of the Joyful Garden Farm Organic Farmers Association and one of the participants, said that they witnessed the performance of new varieties, which have larger grains than varieties they usually grow.  […]

The Institute, in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), signed a memorandum of agreement, which focuses on the development of an area-based yield index insurance for rice from satellite data.  Signed during the 6th International Rice Congress (IRC) held at the Philippine International Convention Center on Oct. 16-19,  the agreement aims to enhance Filipino farmers’ resilience to climatic risks.  “This partnership […]

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is marking its 38th founding anniversary with the theme “Better Rice Communities.”  “We celebrate another year of unwavering dedication to our rice farming communities. Our commitment to enhancing their lives has never been stronger. Each one of us has shown relentless determination and continuous improvement in our efforts to support our farmers. Congratulations to us all for elevating our services, fostering growth within our communities, […]

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 […]

Eighteen staffers from CES and branch stations engaged in a 2-day workshop on business plan preparation facilitated by Go Negosyo’s Kapatid Agri Mentor Me Program (KAMMP) organized by the Process Inovations project team of the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) 2.0. Participating implementers learn practical skills in creating business models, basic accounting, and business planning, which is crucial for empowering farmers to establish value chain-oriented cluster enterprises and improving their […]

The Philippine Rice Research Institute won 18 individual/group/institutional awards for the months of July and August. Four accolades were bestowed to the Institute by the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. Binhi Awards 2022, including the Hall of Fame Awards for Best Agricultural Magazine and Best Agri-info and Media Campaign on July 20 at Quezon City, Metro Manila. The Golden (Malusog) Rice Project and the DA-PhilRice Facebook page were also recognized with […]

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental extended financial grant to the RiceBIS Negros Agrarian Reform Cooperative (RiceBISNARCO) for its entrepreneurial engagements. Through the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program that aims to connect farmers to institutional buyers, RiceBISNARCO received PhP250,000 in which 80% of the amount will be used as capital for palay buying. Moreover, 20% of the grant will be allocated in management skills training, seminars, and workshops on bookkeeping and […]

To fortify rice-farming communities against the challenges of a changing climate, PhilRice Los Baños distributed over 260 seed packs of climate-smart varieties to Quezon farmers this wet season. Each pack had 5kg of seeds of rainfed varieties such as NSIC Rc 416 and 426 or saline rices Rc 330 and 338. Reports showed that majority of the farmers favored adopting climate-smart varieties, demonstrating eagerness not only to continue planting the […]