GORDON: WHY THE RICE MESS DESPITE IRRI?

Solutions to the country's yearly annual rice shortage was right under our noses all along. "One has to wonder why we have a yearly rice shortage when we have the IRRI or the International Rice Research Institute right in our own country, just sixty kilometers south of our nation's capital. We have the knowledge and the means to dramatically increase rice production to the point where we not only eradicate shortage but create a surplus - perhaps, even allowing our rice farmers to take advantage of opportunities in the world market. What are we waiting for? Rice doesn't plant itself or fall from the heavens, if we have a problem with rice all we need do is to pour resources into rice production and make as much use of IRRI as we can," said Senator Richard Gordon.

Established in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations in cooperation with the Philippine government, the International Rice Research Institute's mission is to mission is to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable. Its headquarters is located next to the main campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

"The Senate must stop paying lip service to food security. We claim that we want to be food secure but really we have yet to use the knowledge of IRRI. We have to move to make this knowledge available to the farmers of our country in order to maximize our rice production, so our countrymen do not become hostages of rice hoarding or allow them to be demeaned by having to wait in long lines just to buy a kilo or two of rice," said Gordon.

The senator likewise called on his colleagues to support moves that would enable more of our countrymen to gain exposure to IRRI's wealth of research and training.

"I certainly believe that with IRRI here, they can help us fix the problem of our country and we simply have to take the opportunity and the advantage of this big, big door that is open to the country, that is also expose to the whole world but by their proximity allow us to expand our knowledge, our capability to feed ourselves and to help feed the rest of the world." said Gordon.