Batac and Isabela stations celebrated their 23rd and 30th anniversaries, respectively, early this year.  The Batac station was established on February 9,1999. It serves as the center for dryland agriculture R&D focusing on the improvement of rice-based cropping systems in semi-arid areas and development of on-farm water conservation and storage techniques. The National Tobacco Administration played a major role in its creation.  Based in San Mateo, the Isabela station officially […]

Agusan farmers now engaged in agro enterprise development Kitcharao and Magallanes in Agusan del Norte are starting to progress as farm communities operating nine agro enterprises on milled rice lending, internal savings lending, and bulk purchasing inputs.  The community improvement, which spurred from the structured business-  centric model of RiceBIS Agusan, is managed by the trained 400 farmers who follow the business model bank concept pilot-tested by the Esperanza RiceBIS […]

More than a thousand farmers, composed of 600 vegetable farmers, 240 rice-based farmers, and at least 500 households from Lupao, Nueva Ecija were introduced to vegetable production systems under the PAG-AHON Phase II Project.  Also known as the “Sa Palay at Gulay, may Ani, Hanapbuhay, Oportunidad, at Nutrisyon,” which ran from June to Dec. 31, 2021, the municipality-wide vegetable production initiative included crop diversification, the establishment of community food hubs, […]

Series of activities were conducted in preparation for the crafting of the new DA-PhilRice strategic plan to be spearheaded by the institute’s management committee or ManCom.  The workshop titled, “Click Refresh; A Conversation for Leaders of DA-PhilRice,” was held on Dec. 6 – 7, which was facilitated by Mark G. Flores, a human resource and organizational development practitioner. CoSpark PhilRice: A Strategic Planning webinar was also conducted on Dec. 7.  […]

Posted Document’s December 6, 2021   Negotiated Procurement Notice of Awards (NOA) PR 2021-11-6331 Unique 2021 Hardware and Construction Supplies NOA Conforme Notice to Proceed (NTP) PO 21-11-0748 Delivery of Supplies and Materials for the construction of PhilRice Tower for Institution Tower Lighting  

DA-PhilRice Batac, Isabela, Los Baños, and Negros were awarded ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) certification by SOCOTEC Certification Philippines in 2021. This makes all stations ISO-Certified. Agusan, Midsayap, and Bicol were certified earlier.  The Central Experiment Station (CES) was declared compliant with ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental), and ISO 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety) after the second audit on Nov. 17-19.  The certification covered Rice Research and Development, Business Development […]

During the Agusan branch station’s 31st anniversary on Aug 9, Director Dr. Caesar Joventino Tado stated that the station will focus on macro and micronutrient deficiencies and toxicities research to achieve 4t/ha in Caraga Region by 2022. Tado also lauded the branch’s entire workforce for supporting the RCEF team in the seed distribution, extension, and communication efforts this year. He thanked the pioneering staff for their continued service.

Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute will convene the rice sector to discuss the new challenges and opportunities in rice research for development (R4D) in the 33rd Ugnay Palay: National Rice R4D e-conference, Nov. 4-5. Dr. John C. de Leon, executive director, said that the conference will focus on the agriculture sector adapting strategies that emphasize food security amidst the pandemic. “The pandemic is pushing us to think and act […]

Be RICEponsibly healthy. The public is encouraged to consume healthier rice produced by Filipino farmers in the month-long celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) this November. The celebration, which kicks off on Nov. 8, highlights the importance of pigmented and brown rice with the theme “Be RICEponsibly healthy.” Golden Rice is also being introduced. Food scientist Dr. Marissa V. Romero of DA-PhilRice stressed that the health benefits of […]

DA-PhilRice is eyeing more modern, non-exclusive technology licensing agreements following the signing of two agreements allowing the Guimba, Nueva Ecija-based ACT Machineries and Metal Craft Corporation to manufacture and commercialize institute-developed farm machines. These machines are the Multipurpose Seeder that distributes seeds uniformly and the Ride-on Buoyant Tiller capable of tilling soft, shallow, to relatively deep-mud fields. Executive director Dr. John C. de Leon said the agreements are “gateway to […]