DA not aiming for 100% rice self-sufficiency - spox

The Department of Agriculture (DA) intends to achieve more than 90%, rather than 100%, rice self-sufficiency by the end of the Marcos administration.

“Hindi namin ini-aim ang rice self-sufficiency right now (We are not aiming for rice self-sufficiency right now),” DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said at a forum in Manila on Wednesday.

“We’re not aiming po kasi for 100%,” he added.

He said the DA is aiming to maximize productivity.

“Ang gusto po namin ay pataasin ang area devoted sa productivity, mapataas ang production, maayos ‘yung logistics kasi yan rin ang isa pang problema,” he said.

(What we want is to increase the area devoted to productivity, increase production, and improve logistics, because that is also a problem.)

De Mesa said the Philippines' rice sufficiency level currently stands between 86% and 88%.

“Ang target po namin is 95% to 97% by the end of this administration (Our target is 95% to 97% by the end of this administration),” he said.

For now, the Philippines has to rely on importation to ensure ample supply.

“Unang una, we still have commitments sa international natin. Pangalawa, we just focus on efficiency and productivity at masigurado na in place lahat,” he said.

(First, we still have international commitments. Second, we just focus on efficiency and productivity and ensure everything is in place.)

In January, the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Rice Trade Cooperation with Vietnam.

Under the MOU, Vietnam agreed on a five-year trade commitment to supply white rice to the Philippine private sector, amounting to 1.5 million to 2 million metric tons (MT) per year at a competitive and affordable price.

In May last year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP), which aims to achieve the highest possible rice sufficiency level through the use of several strategies.

The MRIDP will be carried out through several strategies, such as climate change adaptation, farm clustering and consolidation or convergence of intervention, a value chain approach, and digital transformation.

A key component of the MRIDP is the convergence of all stakeholders involved in the development of the rice industry with the objective of pooling resources, sharing knowledge, and coordinating efforts to achieve sustainable rice production and higher income for rice farmers. — VBL, GMA Integrated News