In this file photo, taken on Nov. 18, 2019, workers unload sacks of rice from the Vietnam cargo ship in the port of Tabaco, Albay. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Martin Romualdez on Sunday lauded the Department of Agriculture (DA) for swiftly starting talks with Vietnam and India for the steady importation of rice, ensuring the Philippines’ sufficient supply of the staple.
In a statement, the Leyte representative said, “I commend the Department of Agriculture’s quick response to our efforts in securing a stable and affordable rice supply for our country.
“This is a significant step toward fulfilling our commitment to the Filipino to put food on their table at prices within their reach,” he added.
Romualdez was referring to Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban’s announcement that the department started talks with the two countries upon the instructions of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“This will help lower the prices of rice as it will further beef up our national inventory which, even without importation, is expected to last for 52 to 57 days by end of 2023,” Panganiban said.
He said Vietnamese exporters also gave prices that were $30-$40 lower than those they quoted earlier.
Talks with India were more iffy because New Delhi announced last month that it would temporarily ban rice exports, so it could deal with its own problems with price inflation.
But Panganiban said there was still a possibility that rice sales to the Philippines would be allowed on humanitarian grounds.
Panganiban said that negotiations with Vietnam and India could pave the way for the country to get better terms for the 300,000 to 500,000 metric tons of rice the Philippines needs to import this year.
July data from the Food and Agricultural Organization show a 2.8 percent surge in rice prices, the highest in almost 12 years, following India’s rice export ban and adverse weather conditions affecting production.
Romualdez said: “With the current volatility in the price of rice in the world market amid projected supply constriction, the government must waste no time exploring all available options to ensure adequate supply and reasonable price of our staple food.”