DA eyes another rice importation

An official from the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday that the agency is eyeing to import anew 1.3 million metric tons of rice.

At a Palace press briefing, DA Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla said the agency would still schedule the planned importation of rice.

"Mayroon kaming ini-schedule. We will be scheduling the importation. We have already, you know… remember nasa sanitary, phytosanitary, hindi ba. We have already something like 1.3 volume of applications that are already pending there," Sombilla said.

(We are scheduling it. We will be scheduling the importation. We have already, you know... remember the sanitary, phytosanitary [permits are being processed].

"So, what we are going to be doing is to really encourage the private sector to get this [unclear] ‘no. I think the President will really have to do some discussions/consultations with the private sector so that, you know, for them to help us. I think we really need the help of the private sector in situations like these," she added.

Rice stocks

Meanwhile, Sombilla said the DA would check the calculations regarding the rice stockpile of the National Food Authority that is seen to last for two days.

"I will have to talk, to discuss with them how they are coming up with that two days. But of course, really, their stocks really is very low," Sombilla said.

"They will really need to beef up their stocks and there are some ways by which, you know, we have identified also for them to, you know, to help them beef up their stocks – and one of them is contract growing… yeah, one of them is contract growing ‘no so that ano na… targeted na kung—I mean, mayroon na silang pagkukuhanan ng buffer stocks nila [they will have a source for their buffer stocks]," she added.

Based on the NFA’s report as of the second quarter of 2023, the agency’s rice stock inventory of 60,819.95 metric tons (MT) is “good to last for two days,” based on the daily rice consumption rate of 679,670 bags or 33,983.5 MT.

However, based on the average daily sales of 26,085 bags, “the inventory is good to last for 47 days.”

“It should be noted that NFA’s inventory is only a part of the national rice inventory of the entire country,” the NFA report said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, as of March 2023, showed that the NFA’s share to the total rice stocks is only 7.3%.

As of end-March, the country’s rice stock inventory was registered at 1.41 million MT, down from 1.6 million MT last year.

Sombilla, however, ensured that there are still stocks of rice that could last for 39 days, noting that measures are in place to increase rice production.

"The biggest rice production will still come sometime … kung hindi [if not by] end of September, sometime in October. So we will be beefing-up our supply and, of course, the usual na supply that we will be also getting from imports," Sombilla said. —KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News