Editorial: Working together to achieve rice self-sufficiency

http://www.mb.com.ph/editorial-working-together-to-achieve-rice-self-sufficiency/


It seems our highest officials concerned with agricultural production are not in agreement on the government’s ambitious goal of attaining rice self-sufficiency.

The Department of Agriculture is optimistic the goal may be attained in the next two to three years, according to Assistant Undersecretary for Field Operations and concurrent National Rice Program Director Edilberto de Luna this week. He said Secretary Proceso Alcala has ordered the expansion of rice areas and to increase yield per hectare. The specific goal is to produce 59,678, 679 metric tons from 2014 to 2016.

On the same day, however, Francisco Pangilinan, newly appointed chief of food security, said the Philippines has shifted away from setting a target date for rice self-sufficiency. It is thus likely to keep importing beyond 2016. The Philippines has long been importing from Vietnam and Thailand and will have to continue its importations in the forseeable future.

The goal of rice sufficiency is an old one for the Philippines. During the Marcos administration, there was a program called Masagana 99 which increased production through a system of government assistance to farmers. The current Aquino administration said last year it was close to achieving the goal of self-sufficiency, that it was, in fact, already exporting the more-expensive high-end rice.

Then came this year’s spiraling of rice prices. Initially, smugglers were blamed, but it has now been accepted that the Department of Agriculture’s program was inadequate and the goal unrealistic. Last month, Pangilinan announced that the Philippines would import an additional 200,000 tons of rice from Vietnam to boost thin state stockpiles and stabilize prices. Before the year ends, a new assessment will be made to determine how much still needs to be imported for 2015.

The long-term goal remains: Rice self-sufficiency. But it obviously needs more inputs than what the Department of Agriculture has provided so far. Our farmers need support in the supply of high-yielding seeds, fertilizer, irrigation water, farm mechanization, post-harvest facilities, etc. It has long been noted that the advanced rice technology developed in the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at Los Baños helped Vietnam and Thailand boost their rice production, while our own production was left behind.

We can also do what Vietnam and Thailand have done. But first, our top officials have to agree on the basic issues, including whether we look to 2016 – the end of the current administration – as our target year for self-sufficiency, or we should not set any target date at this time while we concentrate on mobilizing and assisting our farmers increase their production.