DA Sec. Piñol belies reports of rice shortage

KIDAPAWAN CITY - Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol belied reports that the country is suffering from rice shortage and blamed cartels for allegedly "maneuvering" prices in the market.

Piñol explained that contrary to reports, there is no shortfall of rice supply in the country. “In fact, our stocks are enough for our consumption for the next 96 days,” he said.

Citing data, Piñol said the country has produced 19.4 million metric tons of palay in 2017, believed to the biggest in history.

He added there is about 5.8 million metric tons of rice available in the market for the next 96 days. At least 2.7 million metric tons of these came from a rice surplus in 2017. The rest would be from farmers’ harvest until March this year.

The country’s daily consumption of rice, Piñol explained, is estimated at 31,450 metric tons. That amounts to a total of 2.8 million metric tons for the next three months.

“If you would deduct these 2.8 million metric tons of rice consumption of the Filipinos for the next 96 days, we still have 3 million metric tons available stocks of rice in the market. With these data, ano bang rice shortage ba ang kanilang pinagsasabi?” asked the secretary.

The country, as Piñol would describe it, is suffering from an “anomalous food chain” where traders, instead farmers, dictate prices of rice sold to them.

What is sad, though, he said, is that “the government has no control over it, and for that matter, the DA, has no mandate to do so.”

With this "situation", a trader, based on Piñol’s computation, will earn P50 million to P60 million per harvest season, “which should have been earned by the farmers themselves.”

In Kidapawan City, the Grains Retailers Confederation (GRECON) in North Cotabato has complained of limited stocks of NFA rice. 

Each accredited NFA rice retailer, according to GRECON Cotabato president Carmelito Bacus, is only given five sacks of NFA rice monthly.

This, Bacus hinted, was the reason why prices of commercial rice, especially those considered premium, have dramatically increased by P5 per kilo.

When NFA here has decided to limit the release of stocks to rice retailers, the primary ones affected are the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the indigenous communities from remote villages in Kidapawan City, said Bacus. —KG, GMA News