Rice yields already near self-sufficiency

THERE’S no need to increase rice yields to 6 metric tons (MT) per hectare for the Philippines to become self-sufficient in the next five years, a senior International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) official said.

“I think 6 … is a bit too high target and it’s not necessary … If we can go to about 4.5 … we are already self-sufficient by that point,” IRRI Deputy Director Bruce Tolentino said in a roundtable interview with editors and reporters of The Manila Times.