Rice sufficiency seen possible via increased demand for other staples

MANILA, Philippines - Increased demand for alternative staples may enable the Philippines to become sufficient in rice sooner than expected, an Agriculture official said over the weekend.

Edilberto de Luna, Agriculture assistant secretary and program coordinator for rice and corn, said more Filipinos now consume other food staples like corn grits and cassava, putting less pressure on palay production.

“I think maybe 15 million Filipinos are now eating corn grits, especially in the Visayas,” he said.

He added that athletes like boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao consume corn grits.

The department, through its flagship Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP), aims to attain self-sufficiency in rice and other food staples such as corn, cassava, cassava and sweet potato by 2016.

The country has already attained a 96-percent self-sufficiency in rice for consumption, planting and buffer stocking needs after producing 18.44 million metric tons (MT) of palay last year.

This year, farmers are expected to produce 19.07 million MT.

De Luna noted that in Mindanao, particularly in Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, Sulu and Zamboanga, people are more fond of eating cassava.

 “If we can minimize the consumption of rice in Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, Sulu and Zamboanga, every metric ton of cassava that they will consume is equivalent to a metric ton of rice that we will have to take out of the remaining four percent deficiency in rice,” he said.

The Agriculture department has already initialized a cassava production expansion program, which involves the provision of support for farm inputs and equipment.

The department, through the national corn program, has also been introducing reintroduced improved varieties of corn to farmers to increase yield and tolerance to extreme weather events.