This issue of the magazine chronicles all our activities, partnerships and success stories during the mobilization of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – seed and extension programmes. This issue of the magazine records all our activities, partnerships and success stories during the mobilization of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – seed and extension programmes. The RCEF seed distribution began on March 5, 2020 in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, the first anniversary of the Rice Tariff Law (RTL).
He encouraged other farmers to also register with the RSBSA and take advantage of the RCEF Seed programme. Furthermore, Jeanette Deniega, also from Urdaneta, expressed her confidence in the quality of the RCEF seeds. Lapeña of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has emphasized the need to train extension workers under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Extension Program.
The project is part of the Ministry of Agriculture's Plant, Plant, Plant programme. Subsequent to the said training, it is expected to educate farmers on rice cultivation technologies and practices through the farmers' field school.
Worth waiting for
Gearing for the next step
PhilRice-bred Cordillera varieties released
Cordillera was borrowed to popularly identify rice varieties,” said the key breeder who took compulsory retirement in 2015. Let us do our part with compassion to help other people,” Belonio suggests to his fellow inventors, especially engineers, as they develop new technologies. Belonio shared the gasification stove design for free, which helped small manufacturers in the country, Vietnam and India.
He grew up in the premises of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), their home strategically located near the College of Engineering. Every day I woke up to banners congratulating engineering students who had graduated, received awards and passed their board exams,” he recalls. The former professor at the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City started as a renewable energy consultant for PhilRice in 2012.
Congratulations to our newly
He invented the rice husk gasifier stove which helps rice-based farming households generate savings by providing an alternative to the more expensive use of liquefied petroleum gas.
ALEXIS T. BELONIO
60, San Rafael, Bulacan Senior Research Fellow
Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division ACADEMIC PROFILE
MS in Grain Science - Major in Grain Processing, Minor in Feed Technology (CLSU 1987)
Joel A. Ramos
Marychelle B. Salvador
Virginia D. Ompad
ALDRIN G. CASTRO
Highlighting the policy has been the government's control of the trade in rice, carried out by the parastatal National Food Authority (NFA). Since the early 1980s, many analysts have pointed out the rent-seeking and inefficiency spawned by the restrictive regulatory regime in the PH rice sector. Finally, beginning on March 5, 2019, the deregulation of rice trade and domestic trade by cutting down on the monopoly powers of the NFA and replacing quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice imports with tariffs was with the enactment of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariff Act - ner (RTL).
How Philippine rice sector policy reform was finally achieved after decades of failed reform efforts. In a 2011 article titled “Stymied Reforms in Rice Marketing in the Philippines,” Tolentino and Dela Peña discussed the main obstacles to rice policy reform in general and the role of the NFA. Those who stand to gain from the reform—consumers who do not buy rice with substandard products and rice traders who do not deal with unsafe products—can best be described as passive bystanders who may not be aware of how the reform may affect them .
Rice sector deregulation and tariffication at last
EXPERT’S CORNER
BRUCE J. TOLENTINO
Even with widespread reports of inefficiency and corruption within the NFA until 2018, there was no political will to drastically redefine the organization. Oversight of the NFA was transferred back and forth between the Office of the President (OP) and the DA, in the hope that the transfers would address inefficiency and corruption. In May 2015, the NFA was moved from the DA to the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, then to the Office of the Executive Secretary in June 2016, and back to the DA in April 2018.
President Duterte's economic team was united in his vision for reforming the driving sector. Former Secretary Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) wrote in the update of the Medium Term Development Plan that the reform of NFA and rice trade was the key to the revival of the agricultural sector. Governor Nestor Espenilla of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expressed support for the deregulation of the rice industry as the key to macroeconomic management and price stability.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol was initially resistant to the reform, but the president and the rest of the cabinet were persuasive regarding the broader economic benefits of the reform. The final version included the elimination of the NFA's regulatory functions because Senator Franklin Drilon, who authored the GOCC Governance Act of 2011, believed that true QR elimination could not succeed if the NFA were to retain regulatory powers. The demise of the World Trade Organization (WTO) special treatment for rice, conflicts within the OP and NFA over import strategies that led to critically low rice stocks and rising rice prices led to an increase in inflation, joint legislative efforts, and a President who listened to his economic officials , were key catalysts for tariffization.
The relationship between the NFA administrator and the NFA board broke down with a public airing of major policy differences. The Administrator announced that in February 2018 the NFA only had 2 days of stock and wanted to import as soon as possible. The NFA board only gave permission to import to protect the 2nd quarter palay crops in May.
Economic leaders, who had long advocated tariffication of rice imports for food security and economic efficiency but never received support from the DA, saw the opportunity to convince the president of its merits as the conflicts between the NFA administrator and the Council highlighted key policy issues on rice imports and the resulting rice price increases became a major driver of inflation.
Many farmers have yet to experience the liberalized
Prices for other food products such as fish, meat, fruits and vegetables also rose significantly, as weather conditions also affected domestic production. So far, the clear winners are Filipino consumers, who now benefit from significantly lower and less volatile domestic rice prices. Farm prices for fresh and unmilled palay have fallen significantly, faster and more deeply than milled rice prices.
Recognizing the adjustment difficulties among farmers, our
Sowing seeds of
When rice farmers ‘cried’ at the unacceptable palay prices in 2019, Ronald Aceret of Bacarra,
Answered prayer
ANNA MARIE F. BAUTISTA
Reaping fruits
Better days
Rogel Comesario’s farm in Manaoag,
Pangasinan was the center of attention on March 5, 2020 as the first Rice Competitiveness
NSIC Rc 222
More RCEF harvests to
MARY GRACE M. NIDOY
As the Rc 222 seedlings grew on his 1ha farm, he noticed they were unlike other varieties and described them as "clean" and "full". The produce stand was also strong and sturdy and "not like the others that looked soft."
Savings and profit
Second time’s a charm
Frontliners
Ilocos Norte
Number of Bags Distributed
Range: 625 - 114,507
Provinces Covered
Bohol
Under the Rice Tariffication Law ( RTL), PhilRice and its partner-agencies went all out to
To complement the seed distribution research being conducted across the country, PhilRice, together with ATI, PHilMech and TESDA, is also multiplying its efforts to implement the expansion initiatives of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) , such as the development of Rice Specialist Training. Course (RSTC). Abaoag, head of the Technology and Services Management Division, said the RSTC is designed to develop the technical competence of participants in rice and rice-based production technologies, especially in the diagnosis and management of field problems based on the concepts and principles of PalayCheck and Palayamanan. Systems. Abaoag said the first batch of RCEF-RSTC started in April 2019, finally producing 30 graduates from selected ATI and DA-RFO regional centers.
Meeting the knowledg e
While we move our seeds, we also move knowledge as well as
HANAH HAZEL MAVI B. MANALO
The training also made him realize that merely possessing technical knowledge does not make a rice specialist effective. In fact, he had recently led a training for new seed growers who were grateful to learn new practices in pests, harvesting and post-harvest management. The prospective seed growers realized that excessive pesticide spraying is not cost-efficient, and timely and proper harvest and post-harvest management can maintain seed viability and quality.
With a heart full of hope, he looked forward to training more farmers to become seed growers. In this way, I can help address my region's problem of seed shortages due to the limited number of seed growers," concluded Dax Morfe. Bringing RSTC is very important to increase the number of experts to t 'took care of more farmers and extension workers, Palco said.
Besides having more hearts and minds to reach more farmers, the course helps rice specialists like them to become competent and confident knowledge bearers because of the new rice production technologies and practices imparted to them by PhilRice and other experts. Palco said that educating the farmers is a responsibility she shares with PhilRice and other agencies to help them increase their yield and reduce their production costs, to maintain their loyalty to rice farming. To her surprise, one farmer approached her and told her that he would actually use this technology on his farm.
They believe that this technology is useful and practical for them, as it is less laborious to do. Added to modified dapog, her pupils also appreciated the Minus-One-Element Technique application as it provides them with a recommended fertilizer rate that has a scientific basis. One farmer was so grateful that he finally learned how to drive a tractor properly during the training even though the machine had been available in his area for a long time.
These compliments and appreciation directly from the farmers keep us going,” Junalyn Palco said with a smile as if she was about to click a selfie.
Junalyn F. Palco, 28
In addition, the challenge is to ensure that her rice production knowledge and skills are regularly updated. With this, she plans to buy or lease a portion of a rice field where she can use her knowledge from RSTC to better understand rice cultivation and also the farmers.
Dax Gabriel D. Morfe, 35
The institute believes that they can help the country compete with neighboring countries if they produce more, lower the cost of production and sell.
CHRISTINA A. FREDILES
This
Can you tell us what led you to become a public servant and Mayor of Balungao?
What agri programs have you implemented in your municipality so far?
How do you plan to help achieve the goals of the DA in the rice industry and lead Balungao farmers into
What will you do to help Balungao farmers become competitive under rice tariffication?
What do you think are the roles of local government units in terms of helping farmers approximate the
What lessons or tips can you offer to your fellow local government officials on helping our farmers?
Nothing can bring down a farmer who uses his kukote
Being wise
CHARISMA LOVE B. GADO-GONZALES
Outwitting RTL effects
Braving SARS-CoV-2
Doing the right things
Musing over, wisely
UNDER THE NEW TRADE SYSTEM, HOW
CAN YOU HELP RICE FARMERS BECOME MORE
COMPETITIVE?
We allotted P15 million for palay procurement this year. To determine soil nutrients and recommend appropriate fertilizer application, the
Mayor Cipriano Violago, San Rafael, Bulacan
In response to low buying prices of palay in 2019, we launched the Cash Assistance Program for Rice amounting to P22 million with
Governor Nancy A. Catamco, North Cotabato
The city government acknowledges the need to reduce the production cost of farmers through mechanization and less chemical use. Under
We have set up a soils laboratory where our farmers could easily have their soils tested for proper fertilizer recommendations
We also poured support to our farmers’ groups to improve the rice value chain
Mayor Richard I. Gomez, Ormoc City
We allotted funds for the Agricultural Development Officer of the Community or AgRiDoc training to enhance the skills of our selected
With or without a global pandemic, our farmers ensure that we are food-secure
Thank you to our lifetime heroes!
