Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Group blames rice crisis on wrong gov't policies By Rimaliza Opiña
THE worsening crisis in the supply of rice is a product of wrong government policies and programs in food production, claimed a peasant organization based in Baguio City.
This problem happened in the early 1980s, which prompted the government then to import rice from other rice producing countries in Asia as well as the USA, said Apit Tako spokesperson Virginia Dammay.
Contrary to pronouncements of government, this is the only time the country is experiencing a "shortage" in supply, Apit Tako claimed except for the 1970s where there was a surplus in the staple. She said, "The truth is the country has continuously experienced a rice crisis. The country's production is simply not enough."
The group warned the rice crisis would remain as long as government continues with its "anti-peasant policies."
"There is no other way to solve the rice crisis but through the implementation of a pro-peasant and pro-Filipino agriculture program. Government should provide greater attention to support and subsidize farmers," the group suggested.
The National Food Authority (NFA) estimates around 32,000 metric tons (MTs) is consumed by Filipinos daily.
With around 2.2 million MTs imported, the Apit Tako said, the Philippines, a rice-producing country, is a leading importer of rice globally.
"The rice crisis is the result of wrong government policies and programs in food production. For rice in particular, government insisted on its policy of supply-led stabilization because the Philippines purportedly has a disadvantage in rice growing and rice self-sufficiency is both costly and illusory. To stabilize rice supply, government imports rice as its solution. The policy then exposed rice to the vagaries of trade which worsened the rice crisis instead of solving," the group said.
Apit Tako claimed this policy also opened the opportunity for the establishment of rice cartels by some businessmen.
With the long queues and the three-kilo limit of government rice in NFA outlets, the Apit Tako said the current agriculture program is no different from previous ones employed by past presidents like the Green Revolution, Masagana 99 and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).
Conversion of rice fields to favor big investors especially mining consortiums is also to blame.
The government's main program in agriculture is the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Program (Afma). P20 million were initially allocated for the program.
Under the Afma is the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani-Rice Program (GMA-RP), which intends to increase rice production mainly through the massive promotion of its rice hybridization and infrastructure programs. Besides tapping the International Rice Research Institute (Irri), government also entered into a cooperation program with China for the development and promotion of Chinese hybrid rice, the Apit Tako explained.
The government likewise opened its market on rice hybrid to other multinational agribusiness corporations like Bayer and Syngenta.
But 10 years after Afma, the Apit Tako laments the rice crisis still persists.
