Loren: Climate change among RP rice supply threats

Senator Loren Legarda said today that a more aggressive irrigation and farm-support program is needed if the Philippines is to achieve 100 percent rice sufficiency from local production.

Legarda pointed out that while the government reported a 5.96 percent increase in total rice production in 2007 to reach 16.24 million metric tons (MT), the output could have been better if not for the adverse impact of climate change during the second and third quarters of last year.

"IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute) has reported that the Philippines is one of two countries in Asia whose rice productions are most affected by the El Niño phenomenon. This need not be the case if only all of our farmlands are irrigated and not dependent on rainfall," said Legarda.

With the effects of climate change worsening every year, Legarda stressed the government must aggressively pursue global-warming-mitigation activities, especially against drought.

"The government is targeting palay production of 17.155 million MT for 2008. But that production target would only cover 92.8 percent of our total rice consumption needs," she said. "We must target 100 percent rice sufficiency, something which we achieved in the 1980s."

"If we continue to import 10 percent of our rice needs, there will always be this fear, grounded on reality or not, that there may not be enough rice for all of the now 91 million Filipinos," she said.

"Importing also makes us vulnerable to price manipulations, depletes our foreign currency reserves or adds up to our foreign debts."

The government cannot insist that there is no rice crisis at present in the face of the spiraling prices of the staple cereal, she averred.

"That's the law of supply and demand. Prices go up when there's scarcity and increased demand," added Legarda, chair of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee. "Increasing rice demand is a sure thing considering the annual population growth rate."

Diminishing rice production, on the other hand, is a continuing threat because of diminishing farm land areas, insufficient government support to farmers and problems brought about by climactic changes, she explained.

At the turn of the millennium, total land area planted to rice in the Philippines was estimated at four million hectares, excluding upland areas planted to rice. Of the total, only about 70 percent is irrigated with the rest rain-fed.

Aside from extended dry spells that delay or altogether scrap planting seasons in rain-fed farmlands, Legarda said the Philippines also has to contend with crop-damaging typhoons.

"At present, we have about 90 percent rice sufficiency from local production. The last 10 percent may be the most difficult to cover, considering the many adverse factors facing our agricultural sector," Legarda said.

"We have our work cut out for us. Government irrigation, seedling, fertilizer and infrastructure support to farmers must be stepped up or we shall face a losing battle."