By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson assured Negrenses of enough rice supply in the province amid concerns that there will be a possible shortage in the next months.
Lacson said the province needs more supply of rice to cushion the looming shortages which are due to global demand and calamities.
“Definitely, we will need rice to come into our province,” Lacson said.
Currently, Negros Occidental is 84 percent rice sufficient.
The governor said he thinks President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. was very clear that there will be no rice shortfall in the coming months.
“If it’s short of production, I think the [last] resort is to import rice,” Lacson said.
He said when India decides to stop rice exports that “alone will affect us.”
Top rice exporter, India, imposed an export ban on white rice last month.
Lacson said there are other countries where the Philippine government could get rice from.
“I am afraid the Philippines may not be able to compete with bigger countries,” he said.
Latest data from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist showed rice production in Negros Occidental has increased by an average yield of 97.92 cavans per hectare, a significant improvement from the 89.02 cavans recorded last year.
Earlier, Marcos Jr. assured Filipinos of a stable supply of rice as major palay producers in the country started harvesting their crops.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the harvesting of palay in the current crop season will be until November.
The government is also closely monitoring rice prices, stating it would only stabilize if the commodity’s supply increased, and ample reserves can be maintained.
The DA said well-milled commercial rice is currently sold at P42 to P52 per kilo, while the price of regular milled local commercial rice is from P38 to P50 per kilo.
Recent prices of rice being sold on the market increased by P10 per kilo.
“Farmers were able to plant early in May, or four months ago, earlier than their counterparts from other rice-producing areas in terms of harvest operations stated planting,” Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said./DGB, WDJ