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Monday, April 18, 2005
RP is 94 percent rice sufficient
By Clara Mae Hortelano
ISABELA -- Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap assured the Filipino people that the country, through the National Food Authority, has an ample buffer stock of rice in the next 80 days of dryspell because of the El Niño phenomenon.
Yap, who joined President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the opening of Pulahanis Festival here Saturday, said that the country is 94 percent self-sufficient in rice production.
"The remaining six percent is covered by rice importation from Thailand and Vietnam," he said.
Yap, however, did not reveal the total number of buffer stocks the country currently has.
He said the country has a scheduled importation from Vietnam and has sufficient supply using the country's first quarter harvested rice.
Yap said Negros Occidental will have its share of buffer stocks from the imported rice from Vietnam.
"The prices of rice are now a bit higher because international prices is also surging," he said.
This was the reason why the President would want to keep NFA rice between P16 and P18 per kilo at the Bigasan ng Bayan stalls to make it more affordable for the masses.
Arroyo checked the supply and prices of the NFA rice at the Bigasan ng Bayan stall at the Burgos North Public Market in Bacolod City.
Yap said that the effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the country are about to end based on the latest information from global climate prediction centers of the Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration.
The mild drought episode had a negative impact on the agriculture sector.
Earlier, the provincial government of Negros Occidental conducted cloudseeding operations to help palay farmers especially in local government units in the southern portion cope with the dryspell.
Joaly Cabarles, Provincial Agricultural Statistics Office-Negros Occidental Operation Center head, said through the cloudseeding operations, palay crops survived the summer heat and the weak effect of the El Niño.
Cabarles said farmers in irrigated localities in the south still planted palay despite their advice not to do so because of the dry spell.
The province rented a private plane from Negros Air to conduct the cloudseeding operations.
Twelve bags or 300 kilograms of refined salt were converted into artificial rain for the first round of operation.
About 250 bags or 2,600 kilograms of salt were used in the entire operation, the provincial government's theoretical answer to the weak El Niño phenomenon which caused damage to Negros crops.
(April 18, 2005 issue)
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