Philippines has enough rice stocks: Marcos

MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Tuesday (April 23) said that there is enough rice stock despite the ongoing El Nino phenomenon.

In an ambush interview in Occidental Mindoro, Marcos was asked what the government could do to ensure food security amid the droughts plaguing the country.

“Well, if we are talking about rice, there is a steady supply. People do not need to worry. In truth, areas with irrigation have increased their harvest,” said Marcos.

Agricultural loss due to the El Nino phenomenon has reached P1.2 billion, as per the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

According to the President, parcels of land not irrigated in Occidental Mindoro need more government attention, pointing to the dams that the National Irrigation Administration is planning.

Marcos also said that the government is fast-tracking the installation of solar pumps in upland non-irrigated areas.

“We have given many post-harvest facilities so that rather than manually processing the rice and bringing it to distant facilities, they could do it here,” Marcos said. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN