Rice self-sufficiency
AS an agricultural country, impoverished Philippines is supposed to be self-sufficient in rice, which is the staple food of the Filipino people.
But due to a number of factors, this Asian nation continues to import rice to meet the food needs of the mushrooming population.
After the end of late President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ (FEM) administration, the Philippines even became the world’s biggest rice-importing nation.
And to think that we even exported rice during the FEM government.
Today, however, the government hopes to achieve the target of 97 percent self-sufficient in rice by 2028.
This, the government will do by expanding its partnership with the Los Banos, Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Last Friday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said that it is is looking for cluster of farm lands to showcase IRRI’s seed varieties and technologies to produce more rice.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the expanded PH-IRRI partnership can be realized by the second quarter of the year.
No less than Cao Duc Phat, chairman of the board of trustees of IRRI, described Laurel’s proposal as “music to our ears.”
Like other Filipinos, we believe that concerned government agencies, led by DA, are in a position to achieve rice self-sufficiency.
