ITINULAK ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang pagpapalakas ng rice industry ng bansa upang magkaroon ng sapat na suplay na magpapababa sa presyo nito.

Sa kanyang pagbisita sa International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters sa Los Banos, Laguna, sinabi ng Pangulo ang pangangailangang masuportahan ang mga polisya upang maging moderno ang rice sector.

“There are new technologies that address the problems that we are facing, and that those technologies are beginning to be disseminated down to the local farmers,” ani Marcos.

“The pandemic and the situation in Ukraine have been a glaring reminder of how fundamental the agricultural sector is and food supply is to not only in the Philippines but to the entire world,” dagdag pa ng Pangulo.

Ang Pangulo ang kasalukuyang namumuno sa Department of Agriculture (DA) kaya siya ay tumatayo ring ex-officio member of Board of Trustees ng IRRI.

“I think that there is no way that I could overstate the importance of the work that you were doing. And so you – I have received so many thank yous from all of you. And I feel that perhaps it should I, it should be us from the Philippines who should be thanking you for the continuing thirst for knowledge that you have shown,” sabi pa ni Marcos.

Binigyan-diin ng Pangulo ang kahalagahan ng paggamit ng teknolohiya upang maparami ang ani sa kabila ng mataas na presyo ng fertilizer.