CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – South Korea has granted the Philippines facilities to improve the country’s rice supply chain, according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) statement on Friday.
Under the project “Improving the rice supply chain to ensure quality of rice seeds and milled rice for distribution and buffer stocks in the Philippines,” the Republic of Korea, through its Official Development Aid, will allot some USD4.5 million (approximately PHP250 million) until 2026 to enhance rice seed distribution in the country.
As one of its components, the project will fund the construction of a rice seed processing facility and warehouses in three stations of the PhilRice in Ilocos Norte, Isabela, and Nueva Ecija.
“PhilRice produces foundation and registered seeds, which are distributed to research and production centers of the Department of Agriculture (DA), state universities and colleges, and seed growers. These facilities help ensure the high quality and viability of seeds and reduce grain losses. Seed distribution is also fast-tracked with these facilities,” Fidela P. Bongat, head of PhilRice’s Business Development Division, said in a statement.
The project will also provide hardware and software for PhilRice’s Rice Seed Information System (RSIS) and to the National Food Authority (NFA).
RSIS is an ICT-based platform for collecting, consolidating, and disaggregating near real-time rice seed production and distribution data at the municipal, provincial, and national levels for sound decision-making of policymakers and key agencies.
Likewise, training programs will be available for rice farmers to enhance their knowledge and skills in modern rice production. (PNA)
