ANGARA CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO SOLVE RICE CRISIS

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today said that the current global food crisis that triggered protests all over the world, could also destabilize our government and negate the gains that we have made unless we resolve it quickly and firmly.

Citing the food riots in different countries, Angara emphasized that the food crisis is worldwide. But it is acutely felt in the Philippines because we depend on other countries for our basic foods.

"The demand for rice increased last year by 0.9 percent, or to nearly 424 million metric tons. The supply, however, increased only by less than 0.7 percent. And of this, only 7 percent or about 35 million tons were put on the world market," he noted. "This has caused much alarm to other countries like Haiti."

Angara enumerated several reasons behind the global food shortages: adverse weather conditions brought about by climate change, the rapid increase in the price of oil which has made agricultural inputs like fertilizers much more expensive; the competition between food and biofuels and the rise of the middle class in India and China brought about an increase in the demand for rice and a change in food preferences.

"Though we have enough rice supply today, we will have to rely on imports to cushion the anticipated rice shortage during the lean months."

He said that in order to avert the looming rice crisis in the country, we shall embark on a rice self-sufficiency program. "I support the ratification of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Headquarters Agreement which will sustain the record highs in palay harvests."

Angara expressed hope that the rice self-sufficiency program of IRRI and the Department of Agriculture can make our country 98-percent self-sufficient in our staple food by 2010.