DA vows better seeds next year
The government will prioritize the distribution of higher-quality and higher-yielding seeds in a bid to boost farmers’ incomes threatened by the El Niño phenomenon, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a statement, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, said the government will distribute seeds that provide better, softer-textured rice to boost farmers’ incomes, but it will have to wait for the 2027 wet season.
The country is already at the peak of planting for the 2026 wet season (March to September) and planting for the 2027 dry season (September to March) is expected to begin after the harvest in September.
The country has rice stocks of 2.35 million metric tons two months before the September harvest and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered on Thursday a temporary halt to rice imports to stabilize grain prices.
At the same time, PhilRice recalibrated its seed distribution strategy to strike a balance between high-yield harvests and the rising consumer demand for better quality rice.
The agency said that shifting to a market-driven strategy was the outcome of extensive consultations with farmers, seed growers, rice traders, millers and local government officials.
Gathered consensus
PhilRice collated insights from 25 PalaySikatan technology demonstrations, 158 variety field trials and regional planning workshops held this year.
“Our goal is to provide recommendations that truly address what our regions need while meeting what the market demands,” said Flordeliza Bordey, director of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Program Management Office.
With this, each region will identify five priority varieties using a “2-2-1” seed strategy: two varieties for high yield, two varieties for good eating quality and one variety with tolerance to climate-related stresses, including flooding, drought and salinity.
Agriculture Undersecretary Christopher Morales said the revised seed distribution scheme aims to address the long-standing mismatch between farmers’ preferences for high-yielding crops and market demand for premium quality.
“By balancing these priorities, the DA is ensuring that farmers don’t have to choose between a heavy harvest and a high market price, creating a more profitable and sustainable future for the Philippine rice industry,” Morales said.
Starting next year, high-yield varieties, such as NSIC Rc 582, Rc 626 and Rc 216, will still account for about half of the supply, while premium varieties, including NSIC Rc 218SR, will account for 25 percent.
“With the addition of stress-tolerant, soft-textured options, like Rc 480 and Rc 534, the share of high-quality rice could reach as much as 45 percent of the total supply,” PhilRice said.
Enhancement measure
Seed distribution is one of the components of RCEF aimed at improving rice farmers’ income and competitiveness through various interventions. RCEF was created under the Rice Tariffication Law, with an annual budget of P30 billion.
Earlier, Tiu Laurel assured farmers of the country’s sufficient supply of fertilizer and promoted the use of local biofertilizers, such as those produced by Agri Specialists Inc. and developed by University of the Philippines Los Baños researchers
Local fertilizers can replace up to two 50-kilogram bags of urea per kilogram at a fraction of the cost of those sourced from Indonesia, China, Japan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Moreover, President Marcos has also committed to sourcing P45 billion needed for agricultural programs, including transport and fertilizers.
