Marcos: Increase in rice production should benefit farmers

MANILA, Philippines — Farmers should benefit from an increase in rice production, President Marcos said yesterday, as he cited the need to bring new technology to the rice field to ensure that the food staple remains accessible to ordinary Filipinos.

Marcos gave assurance that the agriculture department would tap the best technologies to address the problem.

“We really need new technologies because of all of these developments. And that’s the part that institutions like MMSU (Mariano Marcos State University), like PhilRice (Philippine Rice Research Institute) and all the other agricultural research universities, stations do all around the country, that is the part that they play.”

“So it’s correct we have to increase our production. But we have to make sure that that increase in production redounds to the benefit of the farmer. Because it is equally important for me that the farmer makes a good living,” the President said during the launch of the rice paddy art bearing his image in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

Marcos said new technologies have become so important because of climate change, but the problem lies on how to move them from the laboratory to the market, and how to produce a new product on a large scale.

“It is the government that will develop the technologies that are necessary. It is the government that will allow the farmers to process their new product. It is the government’s job to bring now those new products to the market, and to make sure that whatever profits are made at the market, it will redound also to the benefit of the farmers,” he added.

Rice paddy art

As an expression of support for the government’s food security efforts, the MMSU and PhilRice launched a rice paddy art featuring the image of the President and the administration slogan “Bagong Pilipinas.”

“MMSU and PhilRice decided to feature President Marcos in this year’s paddy art in support of his vision of a new Philippines, particularly on achieving food security and reinvigorating the country’s agriculture sector,” the university said.

According to the MMSU, the rice paddy art was created using IR 1552, a traditional Korean purple variety, as the paint, and the NSIC RC 222 or Tubigan 18 as the green canvas. The NSIC RC 222 is a variety bred and released by the International Rice Research institute in 2010, which yields an average of 6.1 tons and maximum of 10 tons per hectare.

During the launch of the rice paddy art, Marcos joked about the taste of the palay that formed part of his image.

“I was teasing the students. I said I hope that the palay harvested from my image, I hope it will taste good. It may have a bitter taste, you may have to modify it. But I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. MMSU will figure it out, PhilRice will figure it out,” he said.

Rice paddy art started in Japan in 1993.

No P5,000 cash aid

The Presidential Action Center warned the public yesterday against false information claiming that it would distribute rice and P5,000 cash aid.

“We want to clarify that this information is entirely false. The Presidential Action Center is not engaged in any such distribution and no such program is currently in operation,” it said in a Facebook post.

The center advised the public to send an email to [email protected] if they encounter information that raises doubts and concerns.

“Let us unite in our commitment to truth, for accurate information is our most powerful tool against misinformation,” it added.

The Presidential Communications Office urged social media users to follow the official Facebook page of the Presidential Action Center for accurate information, announcements and reminders.

Agriculture online hub

A United States-supported online agricultural trading hub was launched to connect Filipino farmers to more businesses and help strengthen the Philippines’ agricultural supply chain.

The US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT), launched a first-of-its-kind e-commerce platform to expand the market reach of Luzon-based farmer-traders and strengthen agricultural supply chain.

The NVAT Fresh Online Platform (NVATFresh.com), directly managed and operated by the Luzon-based agricultural hub, is a business-to-business online platform where farmers can list their produce for large enterprises such as supermarkets, food processing companies and restaurant chains.

Through the platform, farmers can leverage competitive pricing, secure a consistent income, reduce food wastage and ensure the delivery of fresh, affordable produce straight to businesses and consumers. — Pia Lee-Brago