Hanoi, Oct. 4 -- The Philippine Department of Agriculture said on October 2 that the Marcos administration had ramped up agricultural support and expanded the harvest area of paddy to drive the country's rice production to a record high in the first half of this year. According to newly released data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country harvested more than 9.07 million tonnes of paddy from January to June, surpassing the previous all-time high of over 9.02 million tonnes in the same period of 2023 and 8.53 million tonnes last year. Agriculture officials noted that the local government's efforts to ensure food security are beginning to pay off. This record high achievement is partly attributed to mechanisation, irrig...