Rice-corn blend to be sold locally in January

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture is set to bring in to the local market next month the rice-corn blend as part of the mainstream Filipino diet in an effort to lower the country’s dependence on rice importation.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the rice-corn blend would provide new market segment and demand specifically for the health conscious and would slowly ease pressure on rice imports.

“This is just one of our strategies to quash our dependence on imported rice every time a shortfall in supply surfaces,” Pinol said.

“The rice and white corn combo is also a healthier choice for the rice-eating Filipinos as corn contains higher amylose content which makes it harder to gelatinize and slower to digest,” he said.

The DA recently inked a memorandum of understanding with state-run National Food Authority and the Philippine Maize Federation Inc., the private sector organization of corn producers.

Under the agreement, the DA will ensure the availability of quality corn seeds and provide the required interventions for production areas such as capacity building, farm mechanization equipment and postharvest facilities.