No rice self-sufficiency for PHL this year — Agri Dept

The Philippines is on track when it comes to its rice self-sufficiency goal for 2013, but the country may still import the commodity as buffer stock.

 

“[We] are on the right track kaya lang ang sinabi naming our projection... after 2013 pa tayo,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told GMA News Online in an interview Friday.  

 

Philippine rice output for 2012 is estimated at 17.8 million metric tons (MMT).

 

President Bengino Aquino III in his 2011 State of the Nation Address tackled the need for rice sufficiency.

 

“Ang gusto nating mangyari: Una, hindi na tayo aangkat ng hindi kailangan. Ikalawa, ayaw na nating umasa sa pag-angkat. Ang isasaing ni Juan dela Cruz dito ipupunla, dito aanihin, dito bibilhin,” he said.

 

A year later, the President’s statement was embodied in the Department of Agriculture “Food Staples Sufficiency Program 2011-2016” released in June 2012. It aimed for rice self-sufficiency or zero importation starting 2013.

 

With zero hour on hand, however, Alcala explained that the Philippines is “on-track” in attaining its goal, but not yet there. The Philippines will still have to import rice as “buffer” stock, he said.

 

This year, the Agriculture Department expects rice production at 20.04 MMT, which the government deems sufficient enough to feed the entire nation – but still off the 21.12 million MT to 22.51 million MT threshold to achieve self-sufficiency.

 

While the government is still in the process of evaluating the situation this year, what is sure is that rice imports will be lower that the 500,000 MT ordered last year.

 

“Sure na 100 percent [‘yung imports] na mas mababa kaysa last year,” the Agriculture chief said.

 

A more concrete and positive development is that the Philippines will start importing fancy rice to Singapore, United States, and United Arab Emirates.

 

“It is a very good start… Inaayos na ang volume,” Alcala noted.

 

Skeptics, including the Asian Development Bank and Philippine Institute for Development Studies senior research fellow Roehlano Briones are doubtful about the government's rice self-sufficiency goal.

 

“There [is] no historical data that will support this claim. It is not possible to attain sufficiency next year, not even in the near future. Not in your or my lifetime,” ADB Practice Leader in Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Development Lourdes Adriano earlier said.   

For Briones, “... the goal of "self-sufficiency" should not be equated to zero imports. Rather the goal should be interpreted based on a broader set of criteria. For one, policy should target nutritional norms for rice consumption, rather than accommodation of consumer choices.” he explained. —  VS, GMA News