Philippine Rice Research Institute

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is one of the Philippines' rice research institutes, and collaborates with the International Rice Research Institute also headquartered in the Philippines. PhilRice plays a key role in building and sustaining a competitive rice economy through research into farming systems, technology, and policy-making. Their credo is "Technology today, food for tomorrow."

DA-PhilRice is a government corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA). Executive Order 1061 approved on November 5, 1985 [http://www.lawphil.net/executive/execord/eo1985/eo_1061_1985.html EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 1061 November 5, 1985: ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE - The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation] , Accessed March 27, 2008] and amended by EO 60 dated Nov. 7, 1986, created PhilRice to help develop high-yielding technologies so that farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos. PhilRice accomplishes this mission through research, technology promotion, and policy advocacy, which are implemented through a network that includes 57 agencies and 108 seed centers strategically located nationwide.

Philrice began as a research unit of the University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB) in 1985, [http://www.lawphil.net/executive/execord/eo1985/eo_1061_1985.html EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 1061 November 5, 1985: ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE - The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation] , Accessed March 27, 2008] until it became an independent Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation. Its headquarters was subsequently moved from UPLB to Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, although it still maintains a research center in Los Baños.

Its interdisciplinary programs include the following:
# direct-seeded irrigated lowland rice
# transplanted irrigated lowland rice
# hybrid rice
# rice for adverse environments
# rice-based farming systems
# rice and rice-based products
# policy research and advocacy
# technology promotion

With these programs, PhilRice aims to develop and promote technologies that are ecosystem-based, location- and problem-specific, and profitable to the Filipino farmers.

On December 4, 2006 the Philippine Rice Research Institute was Certified by "TUV" as Integrated Management Systems (IMS) compliant organization covering ISO 14001 series 2004, [ [http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/09/26/BSNS2006092675538.html Philrice expects international recognition with ISO certification - Manila Bulletin Archives] dated September 26, 2006, Accessed March 27, 2008] Environmental Management systems; ISO 9001 series 2000 Quality Management Systems; and OHSAS series 1999 Occupational health and safety.

Philrice carries the following discipline-based R&D Program Structure from 1987 to 1998.
# Rice Varietal Improvement under the Plant breeding Division
# Planting and Fertilizer Management under the Agronomy, Soils and Plant Physiology Division
# Integrated Pest Management under the Crop Protection Division
# Rice-based Farming Systems under the Farming Systems Division
# Rice Engineering and mechanization under the Rice Engineering Division
# Rice Chemistry and Food Science under the Rice Chemistry Division
# Social Science and Policy Research under the Socio-economics Division

Major innovation on its R&D structure was implemented from 1998 to 2005. Each multidisciplinary R&D program was carried by the different discipline-based divisions and each division was participated in each R&D programs which follows:
* Policy Research and Advocacy
* Technology Promotion
* Rice and Rice-based Products
* Rice-Based Farming systems for Fragile Environment
* Hybrid Rice
* Transplanted Irrigated Lowland Rice
* Direct Seeded Irrigated Lowland Rice
* Environmental Sustainability & Management.

On September 28, 2005, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave PhilRice a 800,000-dollar grant for biotechnology research into rice with higher beta-carotene, vitamin E, iron, and protein amounts to aiding micronutrient deficiency in Third World countries like the Philippines. Dr. Rhodora R. Aldemita and the University of Freiburg which heads the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health Program, has matched the Gates Foundation's grant with funding into PhilRice's biotech laboratories, a radioisotope laboratory, and screenhouses for testing the modified rice. [Philrice gets P44-M grant from Gates Foundation - Manila Bulletin Archives dated October 12, 2005, URL unavailable]

References

External links

* [http://www.philrice.gov.ph Philippine Rice Research Institute]