Gov’t eyes 300-400K MT add’l rice imports in ’16 amid El Niño

THE GOVERNMENT may have to import a lower volume of excess rice ranging between 300,000 and 400,000 metric tons in the first half of 2016 on improved domestic production prospects, the country’s chief economist said on Thursday.

“We have the results of the latest survey of the areas or hectares actually planted [with rice] and farmers’ intention to plant. This was done after Typhoon ‘Lando.’ It turned out that the expected production for the first quarter of next year and even the harvest this year would be higher than what was initially estimated,” National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Director-General and Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan told reporters.

Earlier, Balisacan said the government may have to import up to 1.3 million metric tons of rice on top of the 500,000 metric tons already ordered for the first half of 2016.

“We don’t need that much of rice imports now. We probably need to import around 300,000 to 400,000 metric tons,” Balisacan said.

This intervention formed part of the Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Niño (Rain), aimed at mitigating the dry spell’s impact on food supply, ensuring stability of food prices, as well as providing assistance to farmers and households in affected areas.

The budget needed to be spent on El Niño mitigation projects may reach P19 billion, Balisacan said.

The Neda chief said President Aquino approved the budget for Rain last week, of which P6.6 billion was already appropriated in the 2015 budget while the rest would be sourced from government savings.

Balisacan added that also to be part of Rain are an assistance package for affected farmers and well as a cash for work program.

“There will be additional sources of income for farmers or rural population who would be adversely affected by the drought. With these interventions, we would expect to generate an additional 200,000 or 300,000 metric tons [of rice], so that in effect reduces substantially the need to import,” he said.