President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has approved the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP) in a bid to achieve the highest possible rice sufficiency while ensuring the welfare of Filipino farmers.

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Ali Vicoy)

Marcos said this as he led the Rice Industry Convergence Meeting at the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Quezon City on Wednesday, May 31.

In his speech, the President said that aside from improving the country's agricultural production, Filipino farmers' welfare must also be prioritized.

“Kaya natin ginagawa ito, hindi lamang para mapakain natin ang buong Pilipinas pero para pagandahin natin ang buhay ng ating mga magsasaka (We're doing this not only to feed the entire Philippines, but to improve the lives of our farmers,” he said.

"They have a possibility to expand, to go into other economic activities, [in] agriculture or not. But to give them more opportunities. That's the whole point. As much as possible, we will support the farmers," he added.

Marcos, who also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said several initiatives were needed to aid farmers and improve their lives, such as the consolidation and organization of more cooperatives for their capital requirements.

He added that through convergence, assets, resources, funding, and technology could be readily available to the farmers for their benefit.

"The importance of consolidation is key. That really is the first step," the President said.

"We cannot do all of the other things that we want to do hanggang ma-organize natin ang mga farmers natin (until we have organized our farmers)," he said.

President Marcos also mentioned mechanization, the adoption of new farming technologies, and digitalization as ways to help farmers.

"We have to mechanize. And then there are new technologies na talagang dapat nating tingnan (that we should look into), but we are not there yet," he said.

He added that there was a need to build certain capacities and improve the value chain to prop up agricultural productivity and assist farmers.

According to Malacañang, the meeting on Wednesday aimed to foster cooperation, collaboration, and convergence among government offices involved in developing the rice industry.

As a response to the challenges in the rice industry, the DA formulated the MRIDP to support rice farmers, increase rice production, and strengthen the rice value chain.

"The program will be carried out through several strategies such as climate change adaptation; farm clustering and consolidation or convergence of intervention; value chain approach; and digital transformation," the Presidential Communications Operations (PCO) office said.

The PCO said a key component of the MRIDP is the convergence of all stakeholders involved in developing the rice industry to pool resources, sharing knowledge, and coordinating efforts to achieve sustainable rice production and higher income for rice farmers.

Data from the DA showed a decline in the total palay harvest area and average palay yield in 2022. It reported that of the 19.76 million metric tons (MMT) of palay in 2022, 14.94 MMT (75.6 percent) came from irrigated areas and 4.82 MMT (24.4 percent) from non-irrigated areas.

The top five highest rice-producing regions in 2022 were: Central Luzon, 3.62 MMT; Cagayan Valley, 2.93 MMT; Western Visayas, 2.32 MMT; Ilocos Region, 1.96 MMT; and Bicol Region, 1.33 MMT.

Meanwhile, the DA is preparing measures to respond to El Niño, including early rice seed distribution, distribution of drought-tolerant planting materials, promotion of crop insurance, and irrigation scheduling.