The logistical roadblocks brought by the coronavirus pandemic and the series of typhoons that ravaged thousands of hectares of farmlands have put a dent in the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) target of raising the country’s palay production by 8 percent.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in his keynote address at the 2019 Rice Achievers Award early this week that while Filipinos were still assured of an adequate rice supply until year’s end, the country’s rice sufficiency level this year might increase by only 2.7 percent.
The succeeding onslaught of strong typhoons in the country affected major rice-producing provinces such that from a rice self-sufficiency level of 87 perce…
Keep on reading: Agency lowers rice self-sufficiency forecast