By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

During a press conference during the Philippine Sugarcane Farming Mechanization Expo at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) office in Bacolod City yesterday, Senator Cynthia Villar affirmed there is no rice shortage, despite reports claiming otherwise.

She explained the Philippines recently produced a total 12.5 million metric tons of rice, with a consumption rate of 11.8 million metric tons.

“Plus 400,000 metric tons for seedlings, so that’s 12.2 million,” the senator added. “We still have a buffer stock.”

Villar, however, criticized the National Food Authority (NFA) for failing to do their job in providing buffer stock for the poor, who can only afford to buy NFA rice.

She also said the NFA should only import rice during lean months, as importing during harvest season will only flood the markets and local farmers will not earn any money.

“The problem with the NFA is they are claiming they cannot buy any rice,” Villar added.

Based on recent data by the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas, the region has a 100 percent rice sufficiency, except for Negros Occidental and Aklan, which are slightly behind at 90 percent.

Local officials in Negros Occidental blamed the decrease in rice production on heavy rains experienced in the province earlier this year.

Despite the slight decrease, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol chose Negros Occidental to become a pilot area for the rural “bigas ng masa” program, which aims to sell commercial rice for less than P40 per kilogram./DGB, WDJ