Manila, Nov. 6 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday assured the public that the country's rice supply will remain stable despite the massive devastation brought by Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) across Visayas and Mindanao.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said initial assessments showed no significant damage to the rice sector in the affected regions.

"We're not too worried about rice since the harvest is almost complete in major producing provinces, and most of the affected regions are not major producing areas," he said.

Tiu Laurel said farmers in Iloilo, one of the country's top rice-producing provinces, had already completed most of their palay (unhusked rice) harvest before ...