The Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) marked its 40th year with more than 100 rice varieties now planted across the country’s major ecosystems, strengthening efforts to secure the nation’s food supply amid climate change.
According to rice breeder Christopher C. Cabusora, rice that four decades ago survived only under one ideal condition can now thrive in two or more harsh environments, which help farmers achieve better harvests despite extreme weather.
NSIC Rc 572, once bred for rainfed-drought areas, now performs well in saline-prone and irrigated lowlands. NSIC Rc 686, originally developed for saline-prone areas, has also adapted to rainfed-drought, flood-prone, and irrigated conditions.
Before PhilRice was established in 1985, the country’s rice sector struggled with low productivity, averaging only 1.86-2.66t/ha from 1974 to 1984 based on the Rice Statistics Handbook 1970–1997.
In 2023, the Philippines recorded its highest rice harvest at 20.065 million tons—a gain attributed partly to the wider use of high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties developed by PhilRice and distributed through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program.
Since 2019, nearly 20 million bags of certified inbred seeds have reached more than two million farmers through RCEF, helping raise average yields from 3.63 to 4.37t/ha in 2024.
“Breeding must be continuous because pests, diseases, and climate stresses evolve,” Cabusora said.
Fellow breeder Thelma F. Padolina added that “no single variety can last forever,” stressing the need to develop new genes to keep rice crops productive under droughts, floods, and pest pressure.
Farmers are seeing these results on the ground.
In Bukidnon, fields once considered unproductive were revived using the certified inbred NSIC Rc 216, which boosted yields by two tons per hectare, said farmer-leader Ricardo E. Salmoy. In Albay’s saline coastal areas, Gina C. Glimacosa of the Baybay Bulawan Rice Farmers Association reported her highest 4.9-t/ha using the salt-tolerant NSIC Rc 470, cutting production costs by PhP7/kg and increasing income by nearly 30 percent.
From the highlands of Apayao, hybrid Mestiso 20, jointly bred by PhilRice and the University of the Philippines Los Baños, raised yields from 3.58 to 5.88t/ha after farmers adopted improved crop management under the PalayCheck System.
PhilRice’s continuous feedback with farmers ensures that new varieties remain responsive to field realities, aligning with the Institute’s 2023–2028 Strategic Plan, which targets a 4–5 percent annual increase in national rice yields through research-driven innovation and seed distribution.
