DA PhilRice holds Lakbay Palay 2026 Wet Season

The Department of Agriculture (DA) Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has conducted the Lakbay Palay 2026 Wet Season at the PhilRice Central Experiment Station (CES), located at Barangay Maligaya in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on 17 September 2026.

According to DA PhilRice, the bi-annual agricultural event aims to showcase modern rice farming technologies, high-yielding varieties, and research updates to farmers, students, and agricultural stakeholders.

The said event included guided tours of demo farms highlighting climate-resilient rice varieties suited for wet and dry seasons; and showcases of advanced farming tools including drones, automated irrigation systems, and mobile applications.

The Lakbay Palay 2026 Wet Season also included educational sessions like “Palay Talks” discussing efficient production practices and programs like the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF); as well as displaying unique attractions such as rice paddy art portraits made from various colored rice varieties.

This year’s rice paddy art portrait showcased Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala. The living canvas honors the 21-year-old trailblazer for reaching a historic, career-high WTA world ranking of No. 18, the highest ever achieved by a Filipino tennis player.

At the FutureRice Farm, participants were given some of the varieties of rice seedlings that are used during the El Niño phenomenon, rainwater collection technology, solar water pump irrigation, and high-tech machineries that help plant rice.

At the Palayamanan, participants were shown that they can earn from other agricultural products aside from rice planting. These include mushroom production, rice-duck integration, Sorjan, and vertical hydroponics that can be used to provide additional income.

At the closing ceremony, participants including farmers, media personalities, influencers, and local government officials, to strengthen their support for the rice sector in reciting the Riceponsible partners’ pledge.

At the RiceXplain, experts shared the contributions in the development of the sector. They also discussed the science of rice farming in laboratories, rice science museum and genebank.