Los Baños, Laguna, The Philippines
May 3, 2008
Source:
Philippine Daily Inquirer via
SEAMEO SEARCA
By Niña Catherine Calleja, Amy R. Remo
The plan of the Department of
Agriculture (DA) targeting self-sufficiency in rice by the
end of 2010 was submitted Friday to President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo at the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters
here.
The plan is similar to past strategies in rice production but
differs in terms of scope, advances in rice technology, funding
commitment and management approach, according to Agriculture
Secretary Arthur Yap.
During her visit, Ms Arroyo inspected different rice varieties
in the fields and observed farmers holding leaflets on the
correct application of fertilizer.
After receiving a copy of the self-sufficiency plan, she
witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the
DA and IRRI to accelerate rice production in the Philippines
through the development of high-yielding varieties and hybrids.
The agreement, which also provides for the training of new
scientists and extension workers, will be in effect for five
years.
IRRI director general Robert Zeigler showed Ms Arroyo the
flood-tolerant rice variety that the institute had been
developing for years.
"This variety carries a gene that makes it tolerant to a
prolonged period of flooding," Zeigler told reporters at a press
conference.
He said the variety could survive 15 or more days of flooding,
unlike the traditional rice plant that usually died after five
days under water.
The flood-tolerant rice variety is now in its last stage of
evaluation and multiplication in the Philippines, Vietnam,
Bangladesh, Indonesia and India.
Clustering
Yap said clustering was the new management approach.
"Decades ago, the rice master plan was implemented on a large,
unfocused scale," he said, adding that clustering had been tried
and tested, and had yielded significant results.
The new approach will involve "compact cluster areas" of 40-100
hectares.
Yap said not only irrigated lands but also rain-fed lowland
areas would be included in the program.
Recently, Dr. Liborio Cabanilla, dean of the University of the
Philippines-Los Baños' College of Economics and Management, said
food security rather than self-sufficiency should be the
government's direction.
Cabanilla said in the paper "The Rice Problem and Persistent
Food Insecurity in the Philippines: Is there a way out?" that
self-sufficiency in rice production would be costly because the
Philippines had inherent disadvantages, such weather patterns,
geographical characteristics and water supply.
He said the best way to address the rice problem was through
broad-based rural, agricultural and economic development.
Yap said Friday that it would be profitable for farmers to use
hybrid rice seeds because the government had increased financial
support for seeds as well as fertilizers and pesticides.
He said that in terms of technology, today's rice farmers could
gain access to seeds that could help them produce an average of
180 cavans per hectare during the dry season.
He added that the President had committed a total of P43 billion
for the new program dubbed "FIELDS" (fertilizer, irrigation and
infrastructure, education and extension work, loans, drying and
postharvest facilities, and seeds).
No worries
Also at the press conference, Yap said the Philippines had
contracted a sufficient volume of rice to cover this year's
projected shortfall of some 1.6 million to 1.7 million metric
tons.
He said the Philippines secured 1.6 million MT of rice after
holding four tenders in the last five months--the reason he was
unfazed despite reports that Thailand, the world's biggest rice
exporter, had announced that it would not join a Philippine
tender slated on May 5.
The fifth tender, which requires traders to secure a sovereign
guarantee from the seller-countries, was for the supply and
delivery of 675,000 MT of long-grain white rice.
A sovereign guarantee will ensure the traders' faithful
compliance with bid agreements. In case a contract is breached,
the foreign government that issued the guarantee will be held
liable for damages that may be incurred.
"It's not critical for me at this point to get [the full] volume
[of rice] to be auctioned on Monday's tender. As I've said, the
10-percent demand gap has already been met. We may even reject
offers if prices are too high or unreasonable," Yap said.
"I'm not saying we can relax and that the problems are over.
Having contracted the gap simply means that we can afford
certain flexibilities on the next tender," he said.
'Comfortable position'
Yap said he would not recommend the lifting of the required
sovereign guarantee just to draw more bidders on May 5.
He said the decision of the National Food Authority (NFA) to
impose the sovereign guarantee was to ensure that contracts
would be honored.
"We're dealing with national security stocks. We don't want to
see the possibility of any of the winning bidders backing out,"
he said, adding:
"We are going to enter the May 5 tender with a comfortable
position, knowing that what needs to be procured are just
additional buffer stocks needed from September until December."
This means that the Philippines "won't be gung ho in buying all
the volume offered to us on the May 5 tender, as prescribed by
the Inter-Agency Committee on rice and corn," Yap said.
For 2008, the DA has set an import quota of 2.1 million MT for
government procurement through the NFA and another 600,000 MT
for private-sector importation.
According to Yap, at the contracted volume of 1.6 million MT,
"we're going to enter the lean months starting July 1 with a
32-day national buffer stock."
"So what we will try to do on May 5 is continue procuring and
sustain our buffer stock to 30 days up until the end of the
year," he said.
Circumspection
Per policy, the NFA has to maintain at any given time a rice
stockpile equivalent to 15 days of national consumption. A
30-day buffer stock is required during the lean months from July
to September.
The national daily rice consumption is estimated at 33,000 MT.
"We would be looking at the May 5 tender with circumspection. It
will be an opportunity to study the volume and prices that can
afford the Philippines a better chance to negotiate and procure
stocks it will need at the most affordable or beneficial terms
to the government," Yap said.
But he said the Philippines was not closing its doors to
Thailand on the May 5 tender should it reconsider its position.
"I'm not saying we don't need them. But it would be good for
them to join the tender. Their participation is a positive sign.
What the world needs today is to be calmed down by greater trade
loads from all the exporting countries," Yap said.
He was referring to the restrictions on rice shipment imposed by
the leading exporters, which are said to have partly fueled the
insecurity over the supply of the grain, pushing prices to
record-high levels.
"We have to continue securing stocks for the Philippines because
our priority is to make rice available [to] every Filipino," Yap
said.
He said the government would strive for self-sufficiency by
sustaining palay production at record-high levels while
addressing the inventory gap through importation. |
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