News Details

Stronger Ties Forged to Empower Negros Rice Farmers with Markets and Opportunities

NPO

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September 10, 2025

BACOLOD CITY – Farmers in Negros Occidental are set to gain wider market access and higher income opportunities as the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Negros partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to advance the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) 2.0 Program.

The partnership was sealed through three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed at the PhilRice Negros Station in Barangay Cansilayan, Murcia. Leading the ceremony were PhilRice Negros Branch Director Ommal Abdulkadil, DTI-Negros Occidental Director Lynna Joy Cardinal, and DAR-Negros Occidental I-North Senior Agrarian Reform Program Officer.

DTI’s Cardinal said the initiative reaffirms the agency’s commitment to strengthening entrepreneurial development among farmers. Since 2021, the DTI’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program has partnered with PhilRice to provide training and support to rice growers.

“Through RiceBIS, farmer-communities have become more empowered in productivity, business development, and market expansion,” Cardinal said.

Under the agreement, the DTI will provide entrepreneurial training, consultancy services, and intellectual property assistance to help farmers make their products market-ready and sustainably competitive. DAR, on the other hand, will focus on capacity-building for farmer organizations, offering market linkages, access to technologies, and organizational development support.

DAR official Labrador emphasized that the collaboration with PhilRice will create better opportunities for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). “With PhilRice sharing modern rice technologies and DAR strengthening farmers’ access to markets, this partnership will enable ARBs to improve their harvests, raise incomes, and build more resilient communities,” he said.

Through RiceBIS 2.0, farmers’ cooperatives and associations in Negros Occidental are expected to benefit from stronger organizational structures, improved productivity, and sustainable access to broader markets.

NPO News Team I PNA-PR