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Ibon study: RP now Asia's top rice importer


No thanks to government neglect and agricultural trade liberalization, the Philippines' food security is threatened now that the country has become Asia's largest rice importer. Militant think tank IBON Foundation cited data from the National Food Authority that from 1984 to 1994, the country imported an annual average of 151,588 metric tons (MT) of rice. The years that followed, however, showed a dramatic increase in rice imports. "From 1995, when the Philippines became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to 2006, rice importation shot up to an annual average of over 1 million metric tons (MT), a 587% increase," Ibon said in a statement. It said trade liberalization has also worsened the problems of small-scale palay farmers in the country, whose plight the government has allegedly failed to address. Rice farmers continue to be saddled with high production costs, low palay prices, inadequate irrigation and other facilities, inaccessible credit, among other woes. "It is thus not surprising that rice production has not increased significantly over the past decade," Ibon said. The group said urgency of the problem requires collective action on the part of rice farmers and other concerned sectors to preserve Asian farmers' traditional rice culture. Farmers' groups recently concluded the Week of Rice Action campaign, where they discussed threats of landlessness and genetically modified rice. "Rice is a staple food of Filipinos and the country should have the self-reliance to produce it. Instead of reactive and short-term feeding programs, the government should address the problems of farmers and other food producers in order to increase productivity and ensure the country’s food security," it said. - GMANews.TV

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