Marcos: Filipinos also need nutritional value besides food sufficiency
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that beyond food sufficiency, Filipinos must also have nutrition in their meals.
During a meeting with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Marcos lauded the agency for its low glycemic index and protein-rich rice variety.
“It’s no longer just food sufficiency. There should be nutritional value given to the people. There’s very much that we could learn from [you]. IRRI has been actually continuing the research and development and when we went I could see some of their rice is made not for the Philippines alone, the varieties are going all over the world,” Marcos told the IRRI.
READ: Rice is life: Bongbong Marcos vows sustained agri modernization
The IRRI told Marcos that they could also produce other varieties of rice, which Marcos welcomed.
“I hope we can make use of that because those are the kinds of things that we need,” Marcos said.
READ: Ensuring stable rice supply is DA’s main concern, says official
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Managing Director Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, who was also in the meeting, said their organization was willing to work with the Philippines.
“In IRRI, we have a lot of new technologies and better productivity and nutrition. We have the same in other commodities,” said Elouafi.
The CGIAR is a global network of research centers for agricultural development.
