Press Release
March 20, 2007

To combat hunger, govt should hike irrigation budget - Recto
To feed peoples hunger, the thirst of land for water must be quenched

Government should hike irrigation spending in order to boost food production and thereby bring down both the cost of food and incidence of hunger.

Food scarcity can be traced in part to water scarcity. More water to farms would lead to more food on the table. This is because the law of nature says we need water to grow food, Sen. Ralph Recto said.

Recto said this years irrigation budget of the government of P7.6 billion is not enough to meet the need to open up more lands for agricultural production.

The amount is only good for 17,150 hectares, Recto said, a fraction of the backlog of irrigable lands which need to be developed for the country to feed a population of 89 million people that grows by two million a year.

Based on that population increase, the Philippines must produce an additional 208,000 metric tons of rice a year on a per capita annual rice consumption of 104 kilos.

The challenge that lies ahead is more daunting. If our population is going to hit 130 million by 2025, then we should double by that time the volume of rice we had produced in 2000, Recto said.

While Recto concedes the amount allocated for irrigation this year is impressive the amount falls short of the ideal amount required for the country to achieve rice self-sufficiency or at least whittle down the huge rice import bill.

To bridge domestic supply gap of the national staple, the state-run National Food Authority has earmarked P28 billion to procure rice abroad.

Recto has earlier called for the construction of more postharvest facilities such as dryers and storage to reduce after-harvest wastage of palay which runs to at least 15 percent of yield.

Said losses can feed the population of Metro Manila for a year, he pointed out.

To undertake a crash program in irrigation, government, Recto said, should be able to put under irrigation 370,000 hectares between 2006 and 2008 at the very least.

He said revenues from new tax measures should be plowed back to irrigation and other farm programs that will achieve food security.

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