THE Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) have signed an agreement to expand the use of weather, climate and agricultural data in rice monitoring, research and climate-risk planning.
The partnership, signed Sept. 24, will support science-based agricultural planning, disaster risk reduction and climate resilience, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Friday.
The agreement was signed by Pagasa Administrator Nathaniel Servando, Weather Services Chief Thelma Cinco, and DA-PhilRice Executive Director John De Leon.
It took effect upon signing and will remain in force until December 2028, subject to renewal, amendment, or early termination under specified conditions.
The data-sharing arrangement seeks to translate weather and agricultural information into practical tools for monitoring rice production, planning interventions and managing climate-related risks.
Under the agreement, Pagasa will provide DA-PhilRice with weather and climate datasets, including gridded information from ClimGridPh, and access to its Ten-Day Weather Forecast application programming interface.
The forecast service provides data on rainfall, minimum and maximum temperatures, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and humidity.
Pagasa will also share geospatial and hazard-related information, including tropical cyclone tracks, rainfall advisories, affected provinces, drought and dry-spell assessments, soil moisture maps, rainfall forecasts and surface-temperature projections.
In return, DA-PhilRice will provide Pagasa with rice-area and planting-date maps from the Philippine Rice Information System, as well as data on rice growth stages and other agricultural geospatial information.
The institute will also share rice-risk assessments, historical provincial production and yield figures, and information on rice varieties where applicable.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the partnership forms part of the government’s broader effort to modernize agriculture through science, technology and data-driven decision-making.
“By combining weather and climate information with agricultural data, we can help the government and farmers make better-informed decisions and respond more effectively to climate risks,” Tiu Laurel said.
