By
Alfonso T. Ruda
DIPOLOG
CITY - Motivated by the recognition of the agency’s efforts in
the last State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno Aquino III,
the Department of Agriculture (DA)-9 recently held a media forum on Food
Staples Sufficiency Program(FSSP) in Dipolog City.
The
half-day forum, which was held Thursday morning at Mibang Hotel here, was
attended by municipal mayors, municipal agriculturists, media men and representatives
of some local chief executives in Zamboanga del Norte.
Representing
Mayor Evelyn T. Uy, Councilor Peter Y. Co welcomed the participants and expressed
his thanks to the DA for holding said activity in the city.
DA-9
Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Extension, LGU Support and Infrastructure
Constancio Alama pointed out the importance of food stables that could
substitute for rice in the dining table.
Food
Staples Sufficiency Program is the banner program of DA’s Agrikulturang
Pilipino (Agri-Pinoy) framework.
He
said “food self-sufficiency is not only concerned with increasing production
level but enhancing rural productivity and global competitiveness,” adding “it
is not only about supply catching up with demand, but includes the management
of demand or consumption.”
Among
the food staples that could substitute for rice but contain similar food
nutrients as rice are corn, camote, cassava, banana, adlai, and taro. “These
crops easily grow in our own farm,” he said.
Among
the components of the FSSP program include irrigation, farm-to-market roads and
other infrastructures, post-harvest facilities and other mechanization,
research and extension, marketing, credit, demand management and policy
environment.
RTD
Alama also reported the success of DA in implementing various programs that led
to the reduction of rice importation and exportation of locally produced rice
to other parts of the world.
The
rice importation of the country was reduced from 2.4 million metric tons in
2010 to 187,000 metric tons this year, while achieving almost 98 percent rice
production in 2012.