Neda memo to Aquino sign of rice supply shortfall

LUCENA CITY—The government’s rice self-sufficiency mantra is only a “myth,” an official of the militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said.

Antonio Flores, KMP secretary general, in a phone interview, said that with the government’s anomalous rice policy, continuous land conversion, existence of rice cartels and systematic plunder of government funds for agriculture, pronouncements of rice self-sufficiency would “continue to remain just a myth.”

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala has repeatedly given assurances that the government is on track in its rice sufficiency target this year, which is about 20 million metric tons.

Last Sept. 10, however, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, in a memorandum to President Aquino, recommended the importation of at least 500,000 MT of rice, an admission that rice targets may not be attainable.

In his memo to Mr. Aquino, Balisacan said total domestic rice production is projected to be 7.4 million MT by September, which is lower than projected demand of 9.1 million MT.

Production in September, Balisacan’s memo to the President said, was expected to decline from 3.6 million MT in 2012 to 3.3 million MT this year. Harvests, he said, was expected to fall slightly from 3.8 million MT in 2012 to 3.78 million MT this year.

Orlan Calayag, National Food Authority administrator, said on Oct. 2, however, that the NFA has no plans to import more rice.

Balisacan, himself a former agriculture undersecretary, had proposed “relieving the NFA of the burden of handling rice imports.”

Local rice traders here, however, are divided on the issue of rice importation.

“Though the ongoing good harvest may create the impression of rice surplus, we believe that it would not be enough to address the rising cost of rice. Importing rice is imperative,” one rice dealer said.

Another dealer, however, said she believed in the government forecast of rice sufficiency by the end of the year.