Our current self sufficiency level for rice is at 73%. The target is to achieve 86% by 2010. Currently, most of our imports are from neighboring producing countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and India. In some producing areas, problems with pests and diseases had negatively affected the rice production, including local rice production.

Efforts are being made to increase the productivity level of local rice. Since land is a critical issue, the increase in production is planned not by opening new planting areas. Other ways such as the use of marginal land and new technology will be explored. The aerobic rice technology is aimed at maximizing the use of marginal land to increase rice production. This technology will not only suit the marginal land but also will suit the rain-fed planting areas. The hybrid rice technology will also be looked into as it is said to increase the yield of up to 20%.

To make the effort successful, our R&D focus areas are:

1. Varietal development for high yield and quality rice.
2. Development of cost-effective, sustainable and environmental friendly production system with emphasis on optimum input utilization
3. Management of key pest and diseases
4. Development of efficient post-harvest handling and product development technologies