MANILA: Two lawmakers urged President Aquino yesterday to rein in Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, whom they accused of issuing misleading figures on the country’s rice self-sufficiency.
Magdalo Reps Gary Alejano and Francisco Ashley Acedillo said Alcala has strayed from reason and good sense in the rabid quest for his flawed version of rice self-sufficiency.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning Romeo Recide, who is also Bureau of Agricultural Statistics director, told a joint inquiry of the House of Representatives committees on agriculture and food security that the Department of Agriculture (DA) would not be able to meet its 2013 rice self-sufficiency targets, the two lawmakers said.
Recide told lawmakers that based on optimistic projections, the country would be producing 18.45m metric tons of rice in 2013, or 2.55m MT short of the 21m MT required for the country to be rice self-sufficient.
Recide answered “No” when pressed if the country would be rice self-sufficient by yearend.
The panels were conducting an inquiry into the reported rice shortage and rising prices of the staple.
Alcala had said in media interviews that rice production would hit 20m MT this year.
The Philippine star
