NIA: Philippines self-sufficient in rice by 2028

The Philippines may be self-sufficient in rice by 2028 or by the end of the term of the Marcos administration, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said Sunday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, NIA acting administrator Engr. Eduardo Guillen said that among their plans to make this goal happen is to construct dams– both reservoir and diversion types– as he stressed the need for adequate water supply.

“Confident ako na by siguro mga 2028, rice sufficient na tayo dahil sa ating maidaragdag na area for irrigation,” he said.

(I’m confident that by 2028, we will be sufficient in rice production because of the additional area for irrigation we will be adding.)

In April 2023, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it was targeting 100% self-sufficiency in rice for the Philippines by 2027, a feat achieved through its Masagana Rice Program 2023-2028.

In the same year, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that if the government can carry out major reorganization within some agencies, the country will be close to self-sufficiency in rice in two years.
 
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.”

As to the impending effects of the El Niño, Guillen said that NIA will prioritize seeking enough water for farmers to produce rice. 

“Obviously ang number one na tututukan natin ay ang water supply, ‘yung tubig—kung paano natin matutulungan ang farmers sa tubig dahil ito talaga ang kailangan natin sa food production,” he said. 

(The number one thing we will focus on is water supply—how can we supply farmers with water because it is necessary for food production.)

Guillen, however, stressed that rice would be sufficient for Filipinos amid the El Niño as they have been preparing long enough for this phenomenon. 

“Confident akong magsasabi na 'yung production area ng NIA ngayong El Niño, ay tataas pa ang production namin ng palay,” he said. 

(I could confidently say that our rice production in the production area of NIA this El Niño will even increase.) 

“Totoong hindi namin lahat mapatubigan ang area namin ngayon kasi nga ang vulnerable ay nasa 20%. Pero kapag inimplement namin ‘yung aming alternate wetting and drying technology, makakabawi na kami,” he added. 

(It’s true that we cannot irrigate all our areas now because the vulnerability is at 20%. But we can recover once we implement our alternate wetting and drying technology.)

The Philippines is projected to remain the world’s top importer of rice this year based on a report made by the United States’ Department of Agriculture (USDA), as the rate of increase in  local prices of the commodity rose to a 14-year high in the past month.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Saturday touted the record-high rice production in 2023.

Marcos Jr. earlier said the government is looking to install thousands of solar-powered irrigation units to help farmers boost their harvests.

Guillen welcomed this development, saying that it can help sustain the irrigation in rice fields.—Giselle Ombay/RF, GMA Integrated News