DA eyes 100% rice self-sufficiency by 2027

The Philippines is seeking to be 100% rice self-sufficient a year before the Marcos administration ends its term, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the DA said the aim for 100% self-sufficiency by 2027 will be achieved through its Masagana Rice Program 2023-2028.

The Masagana Rice Program aims to “stabilize the country’s rice supply between 24.99 million metric tons (MT) to 26.86 million MT, lower rice inflation to less than 1% annually, increase farmers’ income by 54%, and ensure rice availability and safety at all times by maintaining sufficient rice buffer stock at the DA-National Food Authority (NFA) as mandated by the Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law.”

Last year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who concurrently sits as DA chief, called for the operationalization of the Masagana 150 and Masagana 200 proposals by former Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

Masagana 150 would yield 7.5 tons of inbred rice per hectare at a production cost of P8.38 per kilogram.

This would translate to a net profit of P50,000 per hectare for farmers based on a market price of P27.50 per kilogram.

Masagana 200, meanwhile, aims to yield 10 tons of hybrid rice per hectare at a production cost of P7.82 per kilogram. This would give farmers a net of P70,000 based on a market price of P27.50 per kilogram.

The DA said that the goal of 100% rice self-sufficiency would be achieved through the implementation of four key strategies; namely climate change adaptation, farm clustering and consolidation to promote convergence of interventions, value chain approach, and digital transformation of the Philippine rice industry.

The Agriculture Department also reiterated that the Philippines’ rice supply remains stable amid concerns over supply shortage and increase due to the threat of the looming El Niño phenomenon.

Last March, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced the possibility of an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) happening during the third quarter of 2023 until 2024.

The DA said a study by the National Rice Program (NRP) estimated that the ending stock of palay for the first quarter of 2023, which is about 5.66 million metric tons (MT), is good for 51 days.

This consists of 1.77 million MT of beginning stock, 3.12 million MT of locally produced rice, and 774,050.44 MT of imported rice, which was based on the Bureau of Custom (BOC)’s import arrivals as of March 16 and the DA – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI)’s arrival report as of March 23.

A surge in the estimated rice supply is also expected upon incorporation of the harvests in March and April, the DA said.

“We should be able to sustain the country’s rice supply needs, which is pegged at 37,000 metric tons a day,” said DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Rex Estoperez.

Farmgate prices for fresh and dry palay as of April 3 were at P17.98 and P21.07 per kilo, respectively.

Both experienced an increase as compared to the previous month’s record—P17.29 per kilo of fresh palay and P19.23 for a kilo of dry palay.

From March 3 to April 3, Metro Manila market prices for locally produced special rice remained at P54 per kilo.

Well-milled and regular milled rice experienced a 3.65% and 2.77% price increase, while premium rice was sold for a lower price at P44.50 per kilogram. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News