The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has launched the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified rice products, branded as GAPproved Rice, under its Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) 2.0 Program.
The launch was held during the Lakbay Palay 2024 Wet Season, a two-day farmers’ field day and forum, at the PhilRice Central Experiment Station in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
According to PhilRice, GAPproved Rice has undergone assessments led by the Bureau of Plant Industry, making it a good choice for consumers.
RiceBIS 2.0 Program Leader Diadem Gonzales-Esmero stated that the initiative aims to provide farmers with a competitive market advantage and boost their income while ensuring that consumers have access to high-quality, healthy, and safe rice products.
During the launch, PhilRice introduced the GAPproved Rice logo and a QR code on the product packaging.
Esmero explained that the QR code allows consumers to trace the source of the rice they purchase and identify the farmers who produced it.
“This will be included on the labels and packaging of the rice you buy from our RiceBIS cooperatives,” she noted.
PhilRice confirmed that GAPproved Rice will soon be available in select markets nationwide.
Furthermore, Esmero announced that 289 farms nationwide have already been certified under Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP).
This certification guarantees that agricultural products comply with food safety and quality standards, while also adhering to environmental regulations and ensuring the well-being of workers.
“By the end of this year, we hope to have over 1,000 [PhilGAP certified] farms across the Philippines from the 23 [farmers’ cooperatives and associations] we are supporting, along with the regional field office units and other government agencies, to help our cooperatives in the RiceBis clusters,” she added.
To promote the broader adoption of GAP, rice farmers and cooperatives are urged to pursue PhilGAP certification.
“I encourage all of you, whether as individual farmers or through your cooperatives, to also have the desire to undergo training or certify your farms to ensure the safety of our products and the quality of our rice,” Esmero emphasized.
The Lakbay Palay 2024 Wet Season event attracted over 1,000 participants, including farmers, extension workers, local government staff, and agricultural students.
The event featured demonstrations of new technologies, rice varieties, and modern machinery aimed at enhancing farming efficiency.
Additionally, it facilitated discussions that allowed farmers to engage with rice specialists to ask questions and raise concerns about the challenges in their fields. (PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija | Maria Asumpta Estefanie C. Reyes)
