Aquino: PH on track to achieving rice sufficiency

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III assured the public on Monday, July 22 that the country is on track to being self-sufficient in rice by the end of 2013.

In his 4th State of the Nation Address, Aquino said rice imports this year, including 187,000 metric tons (MT) of buffer stock, would be made within the minimum access volume (MAV) of 350,000 metric tons.

“In all likelihood, even the private sector will no longer have to import rice because we are still on track to becoming self-sufficient in rice,” he said.

“In addition, we have begun importing premium quality rice. We have truly come so far from those days when it was said that we could not even feed ourselves.”

When his term began, the country imported more than two million MT of rice. This dropped to 855,000 MT in 2011 and to 500,000 MT in 2012. In 2013, no more imports would be made on top of the MAV or the country’s international commitments under the World Trade Organization, Aquino said.

He said the government is implementing programs and projects that will help increase farmers’ harvests. He cited, for example, the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project II, which will benefit an estimated 24,000 farmers in Iloilo. “The farmers… will benefit from year-round irrigation. As a result, the harvests may double.”

“Let me make it clear, the 31,840 hectares of land that will be irrigated will yield an additional 146,013 MT of rice. This amount is equal to or almost 80% of the buffer stock of rice that we will import for 2013,” explained Aquino. – Shadz Loresco, Rappler.com