RBI Field Tour highlights BOU's efforts to improve farm efficiency

Did you know annual farm equipment repair and maintenance costs are more expensive than buying new ones? This is why the IRRI Breeding Operations Unit, led by Engr. Princess Lilia Dela Cruz, has taken important steps to review existing farm equipment and resource utilization to match the research needs and improve the overall resource management efficiency.

New tractors were bought as necessary, but existing tractors and other farm equipment were rehabilitated to maximize the use of these resources and ensure that they contribute to better efficiencies at the Zeigler Experiment Station. Moreover, numerous continuous improvement initiatives were implemented, resulting in increased operational efficiency with minimal investments and without sacrificing the quality and timeliness of breeding and research services.

A field tour hosted by Rice Breeding Innovations on 11 September 2024 highlighted these machineries and improved internal processes. Farm equipment like the mono-seeder, APV seeder, pulverizer, and drones for planting seeds and applying fertilizers was showcased at the Ziegler Experiment Station. A group of IRRI staff from various research teams and administration units like IKS, HR&OD, Finance, and Communication participated in the tour.

RBI Research Director Dr. Hans Bhardwaj emphasized in his statement the importance of optimizing IRRI’s breeding operations services to maintain its edge in the rice research industry. He said that the field tour was a great opportunity to understand and appreciate infrastructures and processes and see how advanced IRRI is in this area. He further added that IRRI keeps innovating because the institute needs to remain one step ahead in producing these advanced rice technologies.

RBI Field Tours is a bi-weekly tour hosted by RBI to engage with internal audiences, familiarize them with rice breeding activities, and generate productive discussions on how all units within IRRI can link their work.

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