PH eyeing rice imports anew

The Philippines may import 500,000 metric tons of rice for the lean supply months even though the government expects a new record harvest of the country’s staple crop.

The first 250,000 tons may arrive before July, while another 250,000 tons may be ordered for later delivery, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said.

The National Food Authority (NFA), which ensures the availability of stock for consumers, will set the schedule of delivery.

Although the Department of Agriculture (DA) expects a bumper harvest of 20.08 million metric tons (MT) this year, drought and the delay in planting may reduce the harvest to about 19.02 million MT.

“If we can hit more than 19 million MT, that will be another record year for us,” Alcala said.

However, a harvest of less than 20 million tons will mean that the country cannot yet be considered self-sufficient in rice.

Last year, total rice production reached 18.97 million tons—slightly higher than the 18.4 million tons reported in 2013.

New irrigation projects are needed to boost rice production to the level of self-sufficiency, Alcala said. For the country to be considered self-sufficient, it will need to produce at least 50 percent of its yearly requirements.

But Alcala said that there would be enough buffer stock to cover consumers’ requirements for the third quarter—said to be the lean months of rice production.

“At any given time we should have 15 days of buffer stock. We would have 30 days right before the lean months,” Alcala said.

The rice imports will help ensure that there will be enough rice to go around, he added.