P400B NEEDED TO BE RICE-SUFFICIENT

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol introduces measures to achieve rice sufficiency by 2020.

With rice sufficiency a long-time dream for the country, the Department of Agriculture chief estimates P400 billion in funds needed to achieve a rice sufficiency by 2020.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in his official Facebook account, said one of the four measures is to introduce hybrid rice seeds and a fertilization program, which could cost P50 billion every year for the next three years.

Under the proposal, which will be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte in the next Cabinet meeting, the hybrid seeds, which can double rice production, will be extended through non-collateralized credit to farmers so they can have access to finances to buy seeds, fertilizers and farm inputs.

Currently, Piñol said only 500,000 hectares of rice farms in the country are planted with hybrid seeds out of the estimated 3.9 million hectares of rice farms nationwide.

“The TWG (technical working group) is targeting an additional area of one million hectares to be planted to hybrid rice seeds in the next three years which, theoretically, are expected to yield an additional four million metric tons of paddy rice per year. With a milling recovery of 65 percent, the added production could yield 2.6 million metric tons of rice, which is more than enough to cover the national shortage of 1.8-million metric tons every year,” said Piñol.

The DA chief proposes an annual budget of P50 billion over the next three years for a national farm mechanization program. Likewise, the funds will be accessed by farmers through a non-collateralized loan program, which could be paid back in at least 20 years.

Quoting data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization, Piñol said up to 16 percent of the yield of rice farms is lost because of the absence of post-harvest facilities like harvesters, dryers and storage facilities. All of these interventions were identified by the country’s rice farmers as very critical factors in increasing their yield, he added.

The secretary expressed his plan to introduce massive smallscale irrigation systems, like the solar-powered irrigation system (SPIS). An annual budget of P20 billion over the next five years is needed to achieve the target of irrigating an additional one million hectares during Duterte’s term.

Piñol said SPIS could be built in one month and could irrigate between 50 and 100 hectares per setup. This could translate to at least 200,000 hectares irrigated area every year, significantly beyond the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) achievement of irrigating only 10,000 hectares in 2016.

The Philippines must produce enough rice for its growing population. We cannot take the risk in the face of climate change. This is a must. AGRI SECRETARY EMMANUEL PIÑOL

The agriculture chief recommended a credit facility for farmers under the proposed Farmers and Fishermen’s Quick Credit Facility. Piñol said this has been proposed to Congress where farmers and fisherfolk can be provided with access to credit and financing without going through the rigorous process of filling up voluminous bank documents and submitting collaterals.

While the requirement to become rice sufficient in three years is “huge,” Pinol noted the threat of a rice crisis is present, especially when rice exporting countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China get severely affected.

“There is only one solution: the Philippines must produce enough rice for its growing population. We cannot take the risk in the face of climate change. This is a must,” Piñol concluded.

If funded and managed well, Pinol said the country’s rice sector could begin exporting rice to big consumers. Generational conflict involving founders and their children in the Philippines and overseas are growing in number.