Despite repeated assurances that the country had enough rice, the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday recommended the importation of 500,000 metric tons (MT) of the grain from November 2023 to January 2024 to ensure an adequate supply during the El Niño season.
Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla said that some 200,000 hectares of rice area might not be cultivated because of the dry spell owing to El Nino, resulting in lost production of about 500,000 MT.
In yet another sign that supply would be a problem, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual advised Filipinos to look for alternatives to rice amid the increase in its prices.
During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday, Pascual said that Filipinos should “adopt and adjust our, maybe our diet.”
“Our diet is very traditional. We are used to eating rice…,” he said.
The Trade chief said alternatives such as camote or sweet potato as well as white corn can serve as a substitute for rice.
He quickly added, however: “I’m not saying I’m pushing it now.”
The DA call for imports comes barely a week after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who heads the Agriculture Department, said there was enough rice even after the El Niño phenomenon next year.
But Sombilla said Wednesday that they saw production and inventory going down in December.
If El Niño continues, she added, the DA is recommending import to cover the production loss.
Sombilla also recommended the private sector import 300,000 MT by the end of August, and another 300,000 MT by the first to the second week of September as the harvest season will begin in October.
Earlier, DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said the Philippines has opened talks with Vietnam and India for the importation of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of rice to augment supply and decrease prices.
Pascual recalled that the University of the Philippines, where he served as president, had experiments on a rice-corn mix to promote the idea of using alternatives for rice.
The DA’s price monitoring showed that well-milled local commercial rice is sold at P42 to P52 per kilo in markets in Metro Manila.
Regular milled local commercial rice is being sold at P38 to P50 per kilo.
Quoting the President, the Presidential Communications Office said: “Rice supply is sufficient. Prices are, however, very variable.”
The President issued a warning to rice hoarders and price manipulators on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Presidential Communication Office said the President ordered the DA and the DTI to closely monitor rice prices during the lean months before the harvest season.
“The President will go after hoarders and price manipulators who take advantage of the lean months before harvest season,” Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said.
In a meeting at the Palace on Tuesday, Marcos instructed the National Food Authority to focus on the local production of rice to augment the country’s supply.