Agriculture.ph Blog

Rice accounts for up to 40% of the calorie intake of Filipinos. Meals are incomplete without it. The Philippines had gone from being a major exporter of rice in the 1960’s to the world’s largest importer today. This dependence makes the country vulnerable to price and supply fluctuations in the world market. Lack of focus on food security by successive Philippine governments contributed to this dependence. We need to increase agricultural output to re-join the ranks of the regions major rice producers to which we once belonged. Our future as a truly free and independent society depends on it.

My Reaction: This video has point on how to curb on the rice crisis in the Philippines by eating other carbo loaded foods like pasta and noodles. But culturally we Filipinos consider rice as our staple food. But I think the main point of all the rice crisis is how to help our Filipino rice farmers. How we could make there rice farming profits increase. Like any other business, rice farming is there agribusiness and this is were they get financial wealth to support there family. Helping our farmers is no easy street. But there is a solution to every problem.

Factors and variables we should consider why we are having the said rice cisis:

1. We have only 4 million hectares to till rice according to GIS while Vietnam and Thailand have 9 million and 10 million hectares to till rice while keeping there population in control. That’s why they could export excess rice to other countries.

2. Irrigation system is less developed in our country, reason for less cultivated possible rice fields

3. Decreasing rice fields (either being sold or being foreclosed by banks or financial companies as collateral)

4. Increasing farm inputs like fertilizers and pesticides

5. Our population is increasing while rice farming area is decreasing (this is not good)

6. Government agricultural program has a flaw (admit it or not there is conflict of interest in the policies)

7. The main rice production in the Philippines is based in Luzon which is a typhoon and disaster proned area. Probability of damaged crops is high every year.

8. Vietnam and Thailand are in areas that are less proned to crops damage. They could have consistent supply for assurance of food security and a staple supply for there people.

9. Philippines is an island country, geographically its hard to consolidate the total rice production in our country to really see if we have excess or less supply of rice. We still have Visayas and Mindanao as rice production area.

10. There is agricultural subsidy but there is no transparency in the distribution of the money being used to give farmers farm inputs. (There is a conflict of interest obviously)

11. Higher population means higher urbanization rate thus possibility of a rice farm to be sold at a high price. You cannot blame farmers selling their farm at a high price.

12. Rice farmers decreasing rice profits. Thats the main reason they are complaining. Give them sufficient profits and they won’t complain. Remember these people also work 24/7 and is considered as one of the most physical demanding work in our country. Not everybody could till rice.

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIEYgacQ5UM