SEARCA in the News

Rice scientists are developing new crop breeding approaches for a more modern breeding program. Glenn Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), advocates to explore alternative approaches to implementing a modern breeding program. This is to address the problem of fast-tracking the development of crop varieties for commercialization. The director also proposed the introduction of genomic selection into a crop breeding program and a strong research management approach by identifying and analyzing problems with the crop… Read more

Several regional experts have recently shared their diverse thoughts on the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) in a forum organized by Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The RTL was recently passed with the purpose of lifting existing quantitative import restrictions on rice. With the current influx of imported rice and the consequent plunge in domestic farmgate prices, the RTL has amassed mixed reactions from various stakeholders of the local rice industry, raising the question as to whether it is indeed beneficial for the Philippine rice industry. Nonetheless, the current push for the establishment of… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna―Professor Joselito G. Florendo, outgoing vice president for Planning and Finance of the University of the Philippines System, has been appointed as deputy director for Administration of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture effective Dec. 1, 2019. Hosted by the Philippine government on the campus of UP Los Baños, SEARCA is mandated to strengthen institutional capacities toward agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia through its programs on graduate education and institutional development, research and development, and knowledge management. Florendo is an associate professor at the UP Diliman Cesar E.A. Virata School… Read more

Recognizing the importance of integrating research, effective communication and science-based regulatory frameworks in harnessing the full potential of agri-biotechnology to fuel sustainable agricultural development, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) partnered with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center and Monash University in organizing the Asian Short Course on Agri-biotechnology, Biosafety Regulation and Communication. Now on its second year, the program aims to enable participants to have a better understanding of the entire value chain of living modified organisms (LMOs), as well as national and international… Read more

The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net: Romancing agriculturehttps://opinion.inquirer.net/125728/romancing-agriculture… Read more

Professor Joselito G. Florendo, outgoing Vice President for Planning and Finance of the University of the Philippines (UP) System, has been appointed as Deputy Director for Administration of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Hosted by the Philippine government on the campus of UP Los Baños, SEARCA is mandated to strengthen institutional capacities toward agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia through its programs on graduate education and institutional development, research and development, and knowledge management. Florendo is an Associate Professor at the UP Diliman (UPD) Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business. Having… Read more

Economists and rice sector leaders have pushed for mixed policy recommendations in light of the Rice Tarification Law (RTL), pressing for sustained implementation yet strong and "guaranteed" farmer support. Otherwise, they said RTL may turn to be "disastrous" for the Philippines. This has been raised during the "Regional Implications in the Philippines' RTL" forum recently organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). "The challenges we always face every cropping season relative to systemic barriers to farmers' income were not addressed head on in the RTL," said Cresencio C. Paez, director of Asian… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna—Some 25 nationals from eight Asian counties, both from public and private sectors, have converged at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture to participate in this year's Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology. According to SEARCA, the program aims to enable the participants from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam to have a better understanding of the entire value chain of living modified organisms (LMOs) as well as national and international legal instruments regarding LMOs. SEARCA has partnered in organizing the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biotechnology Regulation, and… Read more

ECONOMISTS and rice industry leaders are pushing for mixed policy recommendations, pressing the national government for sustained implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11203, or the "Rice Tariffication Law (RTL)," with strong and guaranteed support for affected farmers across the country. To prevent the government's tarrification program for the rice industry to be "disastrous," they said there is a need for safety nets for the protection of farmers, which they claim "have not been installed as evidenced by farmers' poor plight from palay's (unmilled rice) collapsing price." The call was made during the "Regional Implications in the Philippines' RTL" forum organized… Read more

The German Embassy in the Philippines awarded master’s and PhD scholarships on agriculture courses to 11 Southeast Asians, three of which are Filipinos. The scholarships were granted under the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) through the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). DAAD is one of SEARCA’s staunchest and longest partners in its human resource development program. Since 1975, more than 380 DAAD-SEARCA scholarships have been awarded, 90 percent of which have been completed. The scholarship certificates for academic year 2019 to 2020 at the University of… Read more