Population surged to 88.5M in 2007; NEDA chief alarmed

MANILA, Philippines- The Philippines’ population rose at a faster rate than its Asian neighbors, increasing demand for food, especially rice, a staple consumed by Filipinos as well as half of the world’s people. In a report, the government said that the number of Filipinos grew nearly 16 percent to 88.57 million as of August 2007 from 76.50 million in May 2000. By 2009, with a projected population of 92.22 million, the Philippines will consume 9.75 million metric tons of rice, higher than the expected 9.56 million metric tons to be consumed by Filipinos this year. In 2000, with a 76.5 million population, each Filipino consumed 103.16 kilograms of rice annually, bringing total consumption to 7.89 million metric tons. The population surge mean “more mouths to feed," said Augusto Santos, Acting Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Santos, who heads the Philippines’ socioeconomic planning body, said the population growth from 2006 to 2007 is slightly faster than the annual increase for the past seven years. The figure is higher than the government’s target of 1.95 percent up to 2010, he added. Despite the increasing number of Filipinos, Santos said the government is still not planning to alter its population policy, which is limited to promotion of natural family planning and responsible parenthood. The reported population surge may also reduce the country’s grain inventories. Although agriculture officials have dispelled reports of a possible rice shortage, more Filipinos may also mean an increased dependence on countries, which produce the grain. Primarily sourced from the United States, China, Vietnam and Thailand, world prices of rice have reached historic highs since current demand is not expected to meet supply anytime soon. Demand for the grain has also risen ever since the Philippines, the world’s largest rice importer, have announced plans to import as much as 2.2 million metric tons this year, considered the largest ever in ten years. Compared with its Southeast Asian peers, the Philippines’ population growth rate was much higher compared to Malaysia, which had a 2.1 increase from 2001 to 2006 and Vietnam with 1.4 percent hike during the same period. The population of Indonesia and Thailand posted a growth rate of 1.3 and 0.8 percent respectively. But the 2.04 percent population growth is a slowdown from the 2.34 percent average in 1990-2000. It was also lower than the 88.71 million projection earlier made by the government. "[This population growth rate] was the lowest annual population growth rate recorded for the Philippines since the 1960s," the NSO said in its report. And it is expected to ease further in the coming years with average annual population growth for the period 2005-2010 projected at 1.95 percent, based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing. The official population count was released by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through Proclamation No. 1489. - Patricia de Leon with reports from Robert JA Basilio Jr, GMANews.TV