Address by Domingo F. Panganiban Senior Undersecretary of Agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines at the International Forum on Hybrid Rice Assistance and Global Food Security

Address by Domingo F. Panganiban

Senior Undersecretary of Agriculture  of the Republic of the Philippines  at the International Forum on Hybrid Rice Assistance and Global Food Security

His Excellency Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Honorable Luo Zhao-Hui, Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, honorable officials of the Government of the People's Republic of China, officials and delegates of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, ladies and gentleman, good morning.

On behalf of His Excellency, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., the Republic of the Philippines conveys its compliments to the People's Republic of China and the FAO for organizing this International Forum on Hybrid Rice Assistance and Global Food Security.

This forum is an opportune platform to sustain dialogue, exchange ideas, and establish greater cooperation between and among our countries concerning the utilization of hybrid rice to meet our food security targets.

The provision of assistance on hybrid rice enhances the capability of our agricultural sector to respond to a surging demand for rice—a food staple in our country of more than a hundred million people, with a growth trajectory that suggests a sustained increase in the next few decades.

The Philippines under President Marcos has pursued a policy direction that underscores the significance of innovation and science-based interventions in attaining policy objectives in all aspects of governance, especially in agriculture.

We are grateful to the People's Republic of China for your generous assistance to this end.

The success of the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PHILSCAT), established through a generous grant from the Chinese government, continues to serve as a model for a mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in agriculture.

For more than two decades, PHILSCAT has been instrumental in cultivating 514,000 hectares of commercial hybrid rice through its hybrid rice seed production initiatives.

The Center, one of the research centers in producing quality hybrid rice seeds in the Philippines, bred new hybrid rice varieties such as PHILSCAT 9 (Mestiso 82).

These cutting edge rice technologies increased yields in the last 20 years and benefited more than 300,000 farmers.

These achievements serve as a testament to the value of cooperation, and a manifestation of the sustained diplomatic ties between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China.

The prioritization of agriculture under the Marcos administration represents another opportunity to reaffirm, and even expand, the cooperation between and among our nations.

Through the assistance of the People's Republic of China, the Philippines remains on track in accomplishing our goal to foster rural development and contribute to international efforts to achieve global food security.

The Republic of the Philippines expresses its gratitude for this opportunity to be a part of this activity, and relays its sincerest felicitations to the People's Republic of China for hosting this forum.

Thank you very much and Mabuhay.