This agreement aims to create crop-specific drought maps from satellite data, with a focus on rice. PhilSA will leverage rice maps and field data from the DA-PhilRice to generate rice-specific drought maps, which will provide valuable insights for agricultural planning and resilience.

The signing of this agreement formalizes secure and efficient data sharing between the two agencies for enhanced drought mitigation.

In her opening remarks, PhilSA Deputy Director General for Space Science and Technology Dr. Gay Jane P. Perez expressed how this is a momentous step in the use of space data for addressing agricultural drought concerns—an endeavor that has been in development for over a decade, starting with the Drought and Crop Assessment and Forecasting (DCAF) project co-implemented by the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (UP IESM), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM), and now being operationalized through PhilSA. “We are celebrating partnership. This collaboration with PhilRice underpins the importance of integrating satellite and ground data, emphasizing how ground data is used to validate, calibrate, and enhance the accuracy of satellite-derived insights and models,” Dr. Perez said.

The OIC of the PhilRice Office of the Deputy Director for Research and Philippine Rice Information System (PRiSM) Project Leader, Dr. Eduardo Jimmy Quilang, stated the importance of this partnership with PhilSA for the agricultural sector’s benefit. “We cannot realize our goals, our dreams, our mission, our vision alone. Our research for development is heavily partnership-based. That’s why right now we are more than happy to sign our memorandum of agreement—sharing what we have and complementing what you are doing,” Dr. Quilang said.

The MOA was signed by PhilRice Executive Director Dr. John De Leon and PhilSA Deputy Director General Denis Villorente (representing PhilSA Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr.). Deputy Director General Gay Jane Perez and Director Ariel C. Blanco served as witnesses for PhilSA, while Deputy Director Quilang and PRiSM Assistant Unit Head Mary Rose Mabalay (representing PRiSM Unit Head Jovino De Dios) served as witnesses for PhilRice.

This agreement provides a platform to maximize the impact of PhilSA’s Satellite Mission Analysis, Planning, Product Enhancement and Development (SatMAPPED) project, which aims to monitor, predict, and mitigate drought impacts on agriculture through space-based technologies. It also signifies further enhancement of the country’s resilience to the impacts of drought on agriculture.

SeedWorks Philippines’ US 88 has again dominated two important hybrid rice derbies, further cementing its market position as the top high-yielding hybrid rice variety in the country.

SeedWorks’ US 88 bested other hybrid rice varieties from eight other seed companies in the Hybrid Rice Varietal Derby at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) compound in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The hybrid rice derby was organized by the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Regional Field Office III (DA-RFO3) in collaboration with CLSU, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the Provincial Agriculture Office of Nueva Ecija.

The Hybrid Rice Varietal Derby was aimed at showcasing the potential of different hybrid varieties and identifying best cultivation practices. It was launched under the national agriculture department’s rice resiliency project—Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra Covid-19 program—covering the dry season from 2020 to 2021.

In the said derby, US 88 was declared the highest yielder after it recorded an average yield per hectare of 9.45 metric tons, which was significantly higher than the second placer that had 7.81 metric tons and the third placer that yielded 7.07 metric tons.

Dominating 12th NRTF

In addition, US 88 also ruled the 12th National Rice Technology Forum (NRTF) held at Nungnungan 2 in Cauayan City, Isabela. Local farmers and seed companies participated in the dry-season leg of the bi-annual rice technology event.

The 12th NRTF overall Top 1 highest yielder, farmer Relito Ventura cultivated US 88 in the competition using manual transplanting culture and harvested 206 bags of palay per hectare at 56.8 kilograms per bag, for an average yield of 11.7 tons per hectare.

Ventura noted that US 88 produces more productive tillers and has longer grains, which buyers prefer. With his breakthrough yield, he encourages other farmers in Region 2 to plant US 88 “dahil bukod sa mataas umani at long grain, ay ubod pa ng sarap.”

 DA Region 2 Executive Director Narciso Edillo has even highlighted Ventura’s surprising experience to inspire other farmers in the region to adopt hybrid rice technology. During the National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) Culminating Activity in Region 2 held last 26 November 2021, Ventura was given a Certificate of Award as a TOP YIELDER using US 88 hybrid rice during the 2020-2021 Dry Season in the Province of Isabela and was rewarded with five (5) bags of Inorganic Fertilizer by the DA-RFO2.

Apart from his abundant harvest using US 88 hybrid rice, SeedWorks Philippines also rewarded Ventura with a brand-new motorcycle with side-car, which he could practically use for farming and other livelihood purposes. He is now among the growing list of farmers who have actually realized and experienced the higher yield that US 88 can bring about compared to traditional and other hybrid rice varieties.

Supporting PH agriculture goal

“We are continuously supporting the country’s goal of ensuring sufficient supply of locally produced rice with the high-yielding varieties we offer, particularly US 88 which is also a premium long grain rice,” said SeedWorks Philippines President Carlos Saplala. “The company actively participates in rice demos and competitions to further showcase US 88’s potential to help make farmers more productive despite all the natural and unexpected challenges that come our way.”

Earlier this year, SeedWorks also rolled out a program to further assist its partner-rice farmers by facilitating the link between them and various millers who agree to buy US 88 palay (unhusked rice produce) at prices that are ₱1 higher compared to the average local prices. The initiative has also paved the way for the wider commercial distribution of milled US 88 rice in standard 25-kilogram sacks to retailers, which sell the commodity to consumers.

By Alithea De Jesus

Rice industry leaders, economic managers, and farmers’ representatives affirmed last week the benefits of the year-old Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) in a webinar that emphasized how it has led to cheaper staple food for consumers and higher yields for palay growers.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, and Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito Lambino II led the panel of experts from the government. Representatives from various stakeholder groups also reacted to the presentations.

The resource persons discussed the effects of RTL or Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 on its first year of implementation during a recent webinar entitled, ‘Sa Rice Tariffication Law, Sambayanang Pilipino, Tuloy ang Panalo.’

In attendance at the Zoom webinar were 553 participants from the farmer and consumer groups, civil society organizations, and government agencies. The webinar also reached over 48,000 viewers through Facebook.

The officials discussed the impact of RTL and the efforts of their respective agencies to help stakeholders reap the benefits of the law.

Dar provided updates on the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) and the support provided to rice farmers in their transition toward competitiveness.

Under the RTL, proceeds from import tariff collections by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) go to the RCEF, which is an annual outlay of at least P10 billion intended to provide high-quality inbred seeds, farm inputs and machines, as well as easy credit and mechanization training to palay growers.

“We have been working double-time since October 2019 to carry out the component programs on seed, mechanization, credit, and extension services that complement existing DA interventions,” Dar said.

Dar said that just one year into RTL’s implementation, these mechanisms have already yielded early gains for farmers in terms of higher yields per hectare.

In the first half of 2020, palay production increased to 8.39 million metric tons (MT) from 8.27 million MT during the same period in 2019.

According to a recent PhilRice survey, the increase in farmers’ per-hectare yield has also translated into additional income amounting to roughly 7,500 pesos per hectare. This is especially helpful for farmers and their families as they cope with financial shocks arising from the pandemic.

Dar assured the public, “With the RTL and the RCEF firmly in place and properly implemented, we at DA are confident that the Philippine rice sector will finally regain its strength and fully develop as a resilient and globally competitive industry.”

Chua presented the reform’s role in developing a productive and competitive rice sector. He also discussed the positive benefits of the law for consumers, especially low-income households in the country. |

“Low rice prices help us achieve our poverty reduction goals. This is because rice consumption accounts for around 30 percent of the total food expenditure of the poor,” Chua said.

Chua noted that without the RTL in place during the COVID-19 crisis, socioeconomic outcomes for the vulnerable “would have been much worse.”

He added, “With the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) shutting down 75 percent of the economy and affecting jobs and income in a massive way, lower rice prices have helped low-income families cope with the crisis, tempering the rise in hunger and malnutrition.”

Castelo outlined in her presentation the efforts of the DTI, in close coordination with the DA, to increase the accessibility and availability of rice in the market.

“Amid the increasing prices of other items in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket, prices of rice continued to ease due to oversupply of rice in the market,” she said, attributing the low prices of the staple to the RTL and the DTI’s Presyong Risonable Dapat! (PRD) program.

The PRD program allows retailers and importers with direct access to retail outlets to import rice and sell directly to retail stores, eliminating traders in between.

During the DOF’s presentation on public investment in agriculture, Lambino shared that the RTL has generated more than enough in tariff revenues to support the rice sector through the RCEF.

“Noong 2019 halimbawa, ang nalikom na taripa ay umabot sa 12.1 billion pesos. Ang excess revenue na 2.1 billion pesos ay inilaan sa Crop Diversification Program at Expanded Crop Insurance Program,” Lambino said.

Lambino added that the BOC has already breached the 10 billion-peso mark in the first half of the year, ensuring that the RCEF is fully-funded with additional revenues for other productivity-enhancement programs.

Industry experts and stakeholder groups were also invited to react to the four agencies’ presentations.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Monetary Board Member (MBM) Bruce Tolentino shared his insights on the role of rice in maintaining low inflation through the pandemic.

It was noted that since March 2019, there have been major improvements in rice inflation since the passage of the RTL.

“Rice inflation is no longer a major concern for our macroeconomic management,” Tolentino said as he presented the rice price trends from 2016 to 2020.

Representing the academe, National Scientist and former University of the Philippines (UP) President Dr. Emil Javier discussed the benefits of rice market liberalization under the RTL.

Javier said that beyond the support given to farmers through the RCEF, many more farmers now benefit from increased access to affordable credit and loan guarantees.

Filomeno Sta. Ana III, the coordinator of the independent research and advocacy group Action for Economic Reforms (AER), said the RTL is a “transformative but disruptive reform,” as he cited the immediately tangible gains of the reform in lowering rice prices while acknowledging the need to support farmers’ productivity and well-being.

“The RTL provides the platform and infrastructure to increase the productivity and incomes of farmers even as the competition arising from freer importation will benefit consumers. Competition can be enhanced, resulting in more affordable prices for consumers,” Sta. Ana said in noting the government’s broad fiscal space to finance the modernization of the rice industry.

Representing the Bulacan Consumer Affairs Council (BCAC), Jose Sosa pointed to the impact of the RTL on food security and rice prices and introduced suggestions to incentivize productivity among small farmers.

Further, Sosa suggested that farmers should organize themselves into cooperatives to allow them to avail of government benefits and crop insurance.

Representing the farming sector, Bravo Primary Multipurpose Cooperative Chairman Robert Almuete thanked the DA for the RTL-related benefits, such as fertilizer and seeds, received by the cooperative through the RCEF.

Almuete’s home city of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija has also benefited from the DA’s provision for a rice warehouse facility, which will help farmers store hundreds of bags of palay.

The segment concluded with insights from Gregorio Saljay III, a farmer representative from Pigcawayan, North Cotabato.

Saljay described the RTL as a timely and relevant measure, giving farmers in North Cotabato useful farming know-how through RCEF programs.

About 200 farmers in Pigcawayan were able to benefit from training implemented by the DA in partnership with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

Enacted on Feb. 14, 2019, the RTL opened the Philippine rice market and lowered the retail price of the country’s staple for the benefit of more than 100 million Filipinos, particularly the poor who spend about 20 percent of their total household budget on rice.

The RTL removed quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice imports in favor of a minimum customs tariff of 35 percent as a form of trade protection for our farmers.

Rice tariff revenues are utilized to sharpen our farmers’ global competitiveness, boost their productivity, and raise their income through the RCEF.

The RCEF is on top of the annual funds for the regular programs of the DA and other government agencies dealing with the rice industry.