Protection for local rice farmers sought

Stakeholders in the rice production industry in the Philippines are pushing for tight protection of local farmers.

Led by the Asia Rice Foundation, a call for tempering the rampant importation of rice is intensified.

“Key to intelligently manage our rice problem is a paradigm shift from self-sufficiency to raising farmers’ income. This shift in the national objective will require further intensification of rice culture in the favorable rice-growing areas. With irrigation, adequate fertilization and increasing deployment of rice hybrids, we can produce palay at P8 per kilogram or less.” said Emil Q. Javier, Vice-Chairman, Asia Rice Foundation.

According to ASF, the government should also look closely on how rice importation affects the local farmers, their livelihood and income.

There are five bills pending in the House of Representatives, including lifting the QR (quantitative restrictions) in the importation of rice to be replaced by 35 percent tariff.

With talks of rice importation making headlines, many farmers and Filipinos alike wonder what the future holds for a supposedly rice producing country such as the Philippines.

ASF reiterated the immediate call of pushing the mechanizing the rice farms which can help cut production costs as it is less labor intensive vis-à-vis the traditional system.

Research shows that the cost of rice production in the Philippines is roughly 30-50 percent higher compared to its ASEAN neighbors such as Vietnam and Thailand. According to Dr. Flordeliza Bordey, Deputy Executive Director of PhilRice, labor cost is comprised around 30 percent of the cost of producing rice in the Philippines, which is more than five times higher than in Vietnam and Thailand.

Arnold S. Juliano, head of the PhilRice Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division (REMD) said that “farm mechanization can increase cropping intensity, maximize production potential and prevent loss,” Mechanical transplanters for instance help reduce production costs and aids in the timeliness of farm operations.

ASF recently held a forum dubbed “Mobilizing Support for the National Roadmap”, which puts focus on the National Rice Industry Roadmap 2030 of the Department of Agriculture.

M. Dagooc

MODEL EMPLOYEES. Lighthouse Restaurant Mango and Coutry Mall recently named Jeslie Llanto (Service Associate) and Jasmin Isadora (Cook) respectively as Model Employees for the month of September 2018. Restaurant Operations Manager Manuel A. Laruap awards the certificate of recognition and gift certificate from Gaisano Bros. during the simple awarding rites as part of its human resources development program. LHR gives monthly recognition to deserving employees.