President Marcos underscored the need to address broader nutritionalconcerns beyond rice consumption as he met with officials from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
“It’s no longer just food sufficiency. There should be nutritional value given to the people. There’s very much that we could learn from [you]. IRRI has been actually continuing the research and development and when we went, I could see some of their rice is made not for the Philippines alone, the varieties are going all over the world,” the President said.
“It’s beyond [the issue of] food and rice in Asian countries. So, again, that just brings into very sharp focus how important [rice] isto us. But the other side of it is the nutrition side because of course, we cannot eat just rice. So, there has to be a source of vegetable, and protein. So, that’s why we are now tryi [solution],” he added.
Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, offered to develop additional rice and agricultural produce varieties tailored for local consumption.
The President welcomed the proposal, underscoring its potential tocontribute to achieving complete nutritional fulfillment for Filipinos.
Elouafi highlighted various initiatives such as iron-rich potatoes, high-protein maize, and Vitamin A-rich rice as examples of their ongoing efforts to combat nutritional deficiencies.