Alcala bats for rice sufficiency; tags Pangilinan a newbie

THE Philippines will continue to pursue the national goal of food staples sufficiency, particularly on rice, as the country should not be held to ransom by rice-exporting countries, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.

In a media briefing, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the realities of a globalized market make self-sufficiency on rice a desirable goal, adding that the world rice trade is the subject of political decisions by governments who are the biggest market players and who consider rice a vital commodity.