PHL on-track to rice self-sufficiency goal despite damage – Agri official

The Philippines will still meet its goal of self-sufficiency in rice by year's end as damage caused by recent storms account for only one percent of the total production target, a top official of the Agriculture Department said Tuesday.

“Based on our assessment, palay production for the year is still on track because...palay damage from January to the present is only 200,000 metric tons, way below the provision for damage of 600,000 metric tons annually,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told reporters.

He said even if 600,000 MT were damaged due to El Niño, pests and flooding, the country would still have enough rice for food and seed buffer stocking requirement.

As of August 24, farm damage due to typhoons Labuyo and Maring has risen to P3.2 billion, with corn incurring the most damage.

Alcala said that as corn is a perennial crop, it can be recovered easily, with the National Food Authority (NFA) increasing its procurement of white corn for the lean season next year to temper demand for rice.

State-run credit and insurance firms—the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP), Agricultural Microfinance Program, Cooperative Banks’ Agri-Lending Program—will also extend help to farmers affected by the recent storms.

PCIC has set aside P110 million for the payment of claims by rice and corn farmers to be paid out 20 days after filing.

Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), which oversees the implementation of the program, said the Agricultural Microfinance Program has allocated P200 million and the Cooperative Banks’ Agri-Lending Program P400 million. — DOR/BM, GMA News