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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Arroyo: Rice supply enough but prices higher
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday said there would be no rice shortage, but prices are expected to rise further.
During her visit to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) project, Arroyo brought a rice hauler from the National Food Authority (NFA) with her because "we want to signal that the supply chain of rice can meet the demand," she said.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
She said the "food, trade, and fun" highway that is SCTex will move people and products safely to Metro Manila from the rice granary of Cagayan Valley to the salad bowl of the Cordilleras, and the fruit basket that is from Nueva Vizcaya.
Arroyo added that export products from Clark Special Economic Zone, Bataan, Subic Freeport, and Baguio could exit by air via Clark, or by sea via Subic.
SCTex would also ferry tourists and vacationers to tourism sites in Ilocos, Baguio, Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, La Union, and Aurora.
The Philippines, one of the world's biggest importers of rice, is having difficulty sourcing supplies of up to 1.8 million tons of rice this year as prices skyrocket due to rising demands and tight inventories around the globe.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap said if Filipinos could be more prudent in rice consumption, imports could go down by 37 percent to 1.17 million tons compared to last year's import requirement of 1.87 million tons.
Manila has failed in three consecutive auctions to secure the full volume of rice it needs and is hoping to tap an emergency regional rice fund to help with a potential shortfall. (JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (March 19, 2008 issue)
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