A TOTAL of 4.42 million bags of certified inbred seeds were distributed through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program during the 2025 wet and 2026 dry seasons, the Department of Agriculture-attached Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) reported on Tuesday.
Certified inbred rice seeds are high-quality, genetically pure seeds produced by the DA-PhilRice to increase yield by 10–15 percent and promote efficient crop growth.
The amount of seeds is enough to cover several hundred thousand hectares of rice cultivation, PhilRice noted.
The Binhi e-Padala system helped expand the reach of the program by reducing bottlenecks, making certified seeds more accessible to smallholder farmers, PhilRice said, noting that certified inbred seeds reached 74,000 farmers in the 2025 wet season and 45,000 farmers in the 2026 dry season.
The agency stressed the importance of distributing inbred seeds, saying it gives farmers access to high-yielding and climate-resilient rice varieties. To encourage the shift toward these varieties, RCEF also scaled its presence through various initiatives.
Currently the country has 25 PalaySikatan demonstration sites showcasing modern rice farming practices. These sites cover 1,250 hectares and engage 1,132 farmer cooperators, PhilRice said.
Some 173 field trial sites were also established through the Variety Field Trials project with newly released, high-performing varieties. These sites were established to accelerate the adoption of new rice varieties.
Additionally, 2,500 sites across 129 local government units in 22 provinces implemented site-specific fertilizer recommendations. These recommendations helped reduce production costs for farmers, particularly in nutrient management.
PhilRice said it also promoted education and capacity building, spending P4.1 million in continuing funds to sustain farmer education. This supported 241 knowledge-sharing and learning activities, three batches of advanced courses, one specialized training, and one revised training module.
It likewise collaborated with the Agricultural Training Institute and the Bureau of Plant Industry-National Seed Quality Control Services, conducting four retooling and organizational management training sessions for 120 partner seed growers.
These partnerships also expanded training reach, involving 197 participants across seven batches of PalayCheck farmer field school and advanced courses for ATI Leads and RCEF facilitators.
Three of the five PalayCheck farmer field school batches aligned with the RISE Visayas Project, which involved a convergence of RCEF programs and PalaySikatan sites.
PhilRice also reported an expanded digital reach, the RCEF Seed Facebook page drawing over 5 million users and becoming a major information hub for farmer-centered content.
The agency worked on recognizing high-level performance during the 2025-2026 cycle. The Seed Grower Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc. in Ilocos Norte and the Bohol Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative were cited for excellence in seed distribution.
Several PhilRice stations (Central Experiment Station, Batac, Midsayap, Negros) were honored for services and technology delivery to farmers.
