Non-rice crops to boost bid for food sufficiency

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said increased reliance on other staple crops as alternatives to rice would enhance the country’s bid to reach food self-sufficiency.

DA Assistant Secretary Edilberto de Luna said that with the record-setting rice harvest of 18.44 million tons in 2013 and the agriculture department’s touted 96 percent rice sufficiency tally as well as the increased demand for other crops that augment Filipinos’ dietary needs, the country is closer to attaining food self-sufficiency.