By Giselle P. Jordan

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) wants to increase domestic production of a rice variety that won the country an award last month.

NSIC Rc 218 or Mabango 3, commercially known as Dinorado, won silver among 30 entries at the World’s Best Rice Awards, behind Vietnam’s ST25 and Cambodia’s Phka Rumdoul, which tied for gold.

The rice variety, which was developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), currently makes up just 3 percent of what the Agriculture department distributes under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program.

“[W]e will be asking our nurseries for palay (unmilled rice) to start producing these seeds in large quantities,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Wednesday.

“This is what we will buy now under the RCEF program and distribute,” he added.

Mabango 3 was said to be able to yield up to 8 metric tons per hectare when grown on irrigated land, and Tiu Laurel said that scaling up domestic production should lead to higher incomes for Filipino farmers.

Tiu Laurel, who previously expressed concerns about the Filipino consumer’s preference for imported rice, also said he was confident that Dinorado would be able to compete.

He challenged PhilRice scientists to better the silver finish during the next World’s Best Rice Awards.

“Prove to the world that Filipino science doesn’t just measure up — it can cook, compete and command global demand,” he said.

PhilRice, Tiu Laurel said, has many varieties worthy of global attention. With sustained research and sharper refinement, he added, the Philippines would move closer to claiming the top prize.

Published Date: December 4, 2025