Palace welcomes prospect of PHL exporting rice by May

Malacañang on Sunday welcomed the prospect of the Philippines being able to finally export rice as early as May this year. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace may ask the Department of Agriculture to make public more details of the rice exports. “Magandang balita 'yan. Ayoko pangunahan ang DA (pero) tingnan natin at hopefully tuloy-tuloy na yan," she said on government-run dzRB radio. When asked what countries the Philippines may export rice to, she said the Palace may have the DA “come up with a release containing the details.” “We understand this is something everyone is very interested in,” she added. A report on the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday quoted DA Assistant Secretary Dante de Lima as saying rice producers and traders are to export rice in May. De Lima was quoted in the report as saying Dubai and Indonesia will receive 15 metric tons of black rice from the Don Bosco Foundation for Sustainable Development Inc. in North Cotabato, 20 tons of japonica from the SL Agritech in Nueva Ecija and 30 tons of long grain aromatic white rice, also from a cooperative in Cotabato. He also said shallots may be exported in May. De Lima noted government does not allow commercial rice exports until there are enough harvests to make the country self-sufficient in rice. — LBG, GMA News