Special Assistant to the Administrator Atty. Gilbert Lauengco of National Food Authority (NFA) said Thursday that the Philippines has already attained 85 to 95 percent rice self-sufficiency to date.
During DZRB and PTV 4’s radion program Talking Points Lauengco said that the Department of Agriculture targets to increase rice production by 10 percent every year until 2013. However, he said this goal of rice self-sufficiency by 2014 may be affected by various factors such as weather conditions and the lifting of quantitative restriction set by the World Trade Organization to its member countries.
Lauengco said Typhoon Ondoy which struck the country in 2009 resulted to the loss of 500,000 metric tons of rice. Due to this, an inter-agency committee comprised of the NFA, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) closely monitors weather disturbances which may decrease the country’s rice yield.
In line with this, DA is also developing a new variety of hybrid rice which could withstand constant rains and could increase the farmers’ yield at the same time. Lauengco also clarified that DA does not use GMO rice.
Lauengco also said that lifting the quantitative restrictions on rice importation will also affect the country’s drive to reach the self-sufficiency target. The Philippines and South Korea are the only member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) who have not lifted the restriction.
He said lifting the quantitative restrictions puts local farmers’ income at risk as imported rice is cheaper than rice produced locally. The restriction of rice importation in the Philippines will be lifted on June 2012. However, the government has already formed a task force to ask members of the WTO for an extension for the implementation of quantitative restriction. [PIA]
