Press Release
March 11, 2008

Loren: RP agriculture needs more Tay Gipos

As Asia grapples with soaring prices of rice, Senator Loren Legarda urged yesterday the government to tap the likes of 64-year-old Eulogio "Tay Gipo" Sasi Jr. to increase farm production and ensure food security for Filipinos.

Legarda said Sasi brought honor to the country when he was invited by Norway's Ministry of Agriculture and Food to address the opening of the Global Seed Vault in Norway last month.

Touted as a modern "Noah's Ark," the vault is capable of storing millions of varieties of seeds found worldwide and serves as an insurance against extinction of plant varieties.

"Our government must refocus on agriculture so we'll ensure food security in the country without resorting to importing grains and other farm produce," Legarda stressed.

"Ironically, we used to export the food items we are importing now," she added.

Norway invited Sasi to the opening of the vault to speak on his work on seed conservation, the maintenance of biodiversity in his farm and the production of a robust rice variety whom he named "Bardagol."

Sasi's Bardagol, whom he named after a comic character who saved the planet, was noted for its good tillering trait and resistance to pests and diseases.

The variety is widely used by other local farmers.

Legarda said Sasi's work reminded her of how active the Philippines was in the 1970s in researching and developing better crop varieties.

"The government must tap the service of such knowledgeable farmers like Tay Gipo so they can impart to others the body of knowledge they had acquired through experience," Legarda said.

Asian countries, including the Philippines where rice is a staple food, are reeling from high prices, with Thailand's benchmark rice selling now $500 a ton, up $100 from last month.

Just a year ago, the grain was trading for $325 in Asia.

"There are just two options for us. Either we meet local rice demand by hiking production, or we allocate more of our foreign reserves to import," she said.

"At present, our hands are tied and we have no choice but to import rice, which is a pity considering that we used to be one of the rice bowls of Asia."

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