Zubiri shares idea with PBBM to boost output, cut imports
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has proposed the idea of “rice production zones” (RPZs) to boost the country’s rice output to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is concurrent Agriculture chief.
In a statement on Saturday, Zubiri said RPZs would also help lessen the country’s dependence on imported rice, as he discussed his proposal with Mr. Marcos during a dinner hosted by the President for senators last Wednesday.
The Chief Executive found the senator’s idea “very interesting,” Zubiri added.
The immediate goal is to replenish the country’s rice stocks that were lost when two storms hit Regions 1, 2 and 3 over the last fortnight, the Senate leader said.
These regions – Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon – “roughly accounts for 40% of rice input and 80% of corn production, that’s why we need to look at other areas in the country to fill this deficit,” Zubiri said.
Meanwhile, private importers are reducing their volumes owing to the increase in rice prices in the international market, but the government is prodding them to continue bringing in stocks owing to low domestic supply.
In an ABS-CBN interview, importer Orly Manuntag said the price of rice from Thailand and Vietnam rose by $100 (about P5,500) per metric ton in July alone. This translates to an increase of about P300 per 50-kilo sack of rice.
The Philippines has 4.8 million hectares of riceland producing 12.6 million tons of rice a year, official statistics show, with an average yield of 4.2 tons per hectare in 2022.
Under Rice Production Zones (RPZs), provinces can be grouped into one, and Mr. Marcos, as concurrent chief of the Department of Agriculture, can assign an Undersecretary or Assistant Secretary to handle a specific RPZ and ensure their crops reach maximum efficiency of production.
These ideal RPZs can be a “good starting point because the Bureau (of Soils and Water Management) maps out all fertile, rich and irrigable lands suitable for crop production, including rice planting,” Zubiri said.
“In my opinion, we cannot be certain about our food security today and then be insecure tomorrow because of factors beyond our control, or just because our sources of rice imports, such as India have become uncertain,” he said.
“Typhoons Egay and Falcon blew a big hole in our food basket regions in the North. This will surely have an effect on the supply of agricultural products, including rice. The earlier we build our RPZs, the sooner we buffer our rice supply and mitigate the effects of calamities on food security,” the Senate President added.
The senator also pushed for quick turnaround programs for affected farmers in North Luzon for replanting to allow the immediate recovery of rice granaries in typhoon-hit areas.
He noted that under the 2023 General Appropriations Act, the main programs under the DA-Office of the Secretary that can be used to aid rice farmers include around P25 billion under the National Rice Program and P10 billion more under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program.
“Our farmers need help in bouncing back from the adverse effects of Egay and Falcon. Helping our farmers also help the country’s food security cause,” said Zubiri.