PNoy: No need to import rice 'forever'

In his State of the Nation Address on Monday, President Benigno Aquino III said the Philippines was able to cut down the rice shortage during his term, lessening the need for the country to import the commodity. Known as one of the top rice importers in the world, the Philippines has slashed its rice import requirement to 660,000 metric tons (MT) from the usual 1.3 million MT since he took over the presidency, Aquino said in his SONA. “Kahit dagdagan pa natin iyan ng panangga laban sa sakuna at gawing 860,000 metric tons — na ginagawa na nga po natin — mas mababa pa rin ito sa tinatayang taunang kakulangan na 1.3 million metric tons," Aquino added. Taking a dig at his predecessor, Aquino said the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had imported 2.3 million MT of rice when the Philippines only needed much less. “Ilang taon bang walang saysay na pinasobrahan ang bigas na inaangkat? Dahil dito, umiral ang pag-iisip na habambuhay na tayong aangkat ng bigas. Ang akala ng marami, wala na talaga tayong magagawa," Aquino said. The rice productivity gains were a fruit of reforms such as the use of high-quality grains and spending on irrigation, Aquino said. “Ang resulta: umangat ng 15.6 percent ang inani nating palay noong nakaraang taon." “Ang gusto nating mangyari: Una, hindi tayo aangkat ng hindi kailangan, para lang punan ang bulsa ng mga gustong magsariling-diskarte ng kita sa agrikultura. Ikalawa: Ayaw na nating umasa sa pag-angkat; ang isasaing ni Juan dela Cruz, dito ipupunla, dito aanihin, dito bibilhin," Aquino said. The Philippine government is not alone in acknowledging gains in rice productivity, with a United Nations agency seeing the Philippines improving its rice production in the next two years. In its Food Outlook for June 2011, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated a 28-percent increase in Philippine rice production this year to 11 million MT from 10.7 million MT in 2010. The Aquino administration aims to attain rice self-sufficiency by 2013 as one of its main objectives. — VS, GMA News