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NEDA: 1.3 million MT rice imports needed by June amid El Niño


The Philippines will import an additional 1.3 million metric tons (MT) of rice within the second quarter of 2016 to mitigate the possible impact of the El Nino phenomenon on food supply and prices, the country’s chief economic planner said.
 
"It has to arrive in the second quarter... because the supply will be tight during the second quarter,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of the 53rd annual meeting of the Philippine Economic Society on Tuesday. 
 
Based on the latest estimate from the inter-agency El Niño Task Force, the country will need another 1.3 million MT of rice imports to compensate for production losses brought about by Typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu) and the prolonged El Niño. 
 
The task force earlier flagged the need to import 1 million MT of rice in addition to the 500,000 MT that the National Food Authority (NFA) Council has already approved for next year.
 
The task force, headed by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), will meet Wednesday to finalize a comprehensive mitigation plan for the expected impact of the weather phenomenon on agriculture and other vulnerable sectors, Balisacan said.
 
"Last time na nag-meeting kami, ang presidente, he wants to make sure na iyong ililista doon sa activities ay magagawa ng mga agencies. They have to assure us that they can mobilize these funds kasi iyong mga problem natin is underspending,” the official added. 
 
The task force outlined at least P19.2 billion to implement the roadmap. —ALG, GMA News
Tags: riceimport, neda
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