Push Admin

Marcos says to import rice, corn 'as little as possible,' vows to boost food production

Article (news)

Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="People buy from a road side market ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/07/05/20220701-economy-road-side-market-jc-6.jpg"/><figcaption>People buy from a road side market near IBP Road and Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on July 1, 2022. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday vowed to import rice, corn, pork, and chicken &quot;as little as possible&quot; even as his administration eyes to boost local production of food. </p><p>Marcos, who currently heads the agriculture department, said the measure is meant mainly to increase supply instead of lowering prices.</p><p>&quot;I don’t think that is the primary reason for the importation that we will do now... We are going to try… I think we will do it, in the Department of Agriculture, to boost production of rice and corn in the coming two quarters, hanggang Pasko, until after Christmas,&quot; he told reporters during his first press conference in Malacañang. </p><p>&quot;We prefer not to import. We would prefer to import as little as possible. So we should increase our own production of rice and corn. Corn, especially, became very important because the feed wheat that we were importing, na-cut off ang supply natin. So we have to substitute it with corn,&quot; he said. </p><p>The agriculture sector has earlier warned of rising food prices amid a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/08/22/world-food-prices-hit-record-high-over-ukraine-war-fao">tight supply</a> of basic ingredients due to Russia&#x27;s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is among the world&#x27;s largest supplier of wheat. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/05/22/wheat-war-ukraine-conflict-raises-hunger-fears">Wheat war: Ukraine conflict raises hunger fears</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/03/22/global-food-prices-fall-again-but-wheat-soars">Global food prices fall again but wheat soars</a></li></ul><p>Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier told TeleRadyo that the Marcos administration might focus on the country&#x27;s agricultural sector through research and no longer depend on food imports to attain food security. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/11/22/incoming-neda-chief-wants-govt-to-boost-local-agri-not-depend-on-imports">Incoming NEDA chief wants gov&#x27;t to boost local agri, not depend on imports as food crisis looms</a></li></ul><p>Marcos also said that the country would continue importing pork, citing the &quot;uncontrolled&quot; outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in several areas in the country.</p><p>He said they would also push through with chicken imports amid the sector&#x27;s problem with feedstock.</p><p>Once the country has increased its food production, importations would be lowered, he said.</p><p>&quot;So if we are able to increase production sufficiently, then hopefully the importation… We really do not… It’s not really an import substitution measure. It is a strategic food supply measure,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;That is why I made agriculture the single, the highest priority of everything that we are doing. Because you cannot build a strong economy unless you have a foundation of a robust econo --- a robust agricultural sector, which assures food supply even in emergencies. And that’s what we’re working towards.&quot;</p><p>Former Agriculture Secretary William Dar had urged the new administration to focus on &quot;food sovereignty&quot; so that the Philippines would not depend on agriculture imports as the Russo-Ukranian war already affected the world&#x27;s food supply. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/05/18/22/agri-monitoring-looming-food-crisis-in-philippines">Agri dept monitoring &#x27;looming food crisis&#x27; amid pandemic, high oil prices</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/16/21/da-recomments-to-palace-raising-minimum-volume-for-pork-imports-dar">DA recommends to Palace raising minimum volume for pork imports - Dar</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2108528" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday vowed to import rice, corn, pork, and chicken 'as little as possible' even as his administration eyes to boost local production of food.

Marcos says to import rice, corn 'as little as possible,' vows to boost food production

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Business

Marcos says to import rice, corn 'as little as possible,' vows to boost food production

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 05, 2022 08:16 PM PHT

|

Updated Jul 05, 2022 09:09 PM PHT

Read More:

Ferdinand Marcos Jr

Bongbong Marcos

agriculture

pork imports

pork tariffs

chicken imports

importation

Department of Agriculture

food production

food supply

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.