Stressing the crucial role of new technologies in increasing the country's agricultural productivity, President Marcos said the government must undertake steps to bring new technology from the laboratories to the rice field.

Speaking at the unveiling of the 2023 rice paddy art at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Marcos emphasized the need to develop and produce technologies that will be used in actual farming in an attempt to increase production, help farmers, and lower prices in the market. 

"[T]here is a necessary work to be done for us to be able to take new technology from laboratory to the rice field," he said in his speech during the event on Monday, Sept. 11.

This is where the Department of Agriculture (DA), which he heads in a concurrent capacity, comes in, he said. The DA must be able to facilitate the development of a new technology, its manufacturing, and distribution to the market and to actual farms. 

The President stressed that this must be done as "we have had to control the prices of rice because the markets are very volatile."

He said that moving the new technology from the laboratory to the market has been a lingering problem around the country.

Marcos pointed out that institutions like MMSU, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and all the other agriculture research universities and stations around the country must come up with new technologies.

"They then should be able to give it to the government, the new technology to the government, and the government is the one who will take it from the laboratory to the rice field," Marcos said.

"It is the government that will develop the technologies that are necessary. It's the government that will allow the farmers to process their new product. It is the government's job to bring now those new products to the market and to make sure that whatever profits are made at the market it will redound also to the benefit of the farmers," Marcos added.

The Chief Executive pointed out that production was always being brought up in such conversation due to its vitality to the entire nation. 

"So it is correct that we have to increase our production but we have to make sure that increase in production redounds to the benefit of the farmer because it is equally important for me that the farmer makes a good living," he said.