RP to have ample rice supply in 2009
ROXAS CITY – The Philippines is expected to be free from rice shortage this year.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is confident that the country will have sufficient supply of rice this 2009 with the expansion of the government's palay procurement program.
President Arroyo said that with the National Food Authority's (NFA) palay procurement program on track, she is expecting that the Philippines will not experience rice crisis this year.
Recently, the NFA has already bought some 1.10 million bags of palay from the farmers, exceeding the agency's procurement target of one million bags for the four-month period ending December.
"This is the highest accomplishment of the NFA as we've been able to more than double our palay procurement from 400,000 bags before," NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro said.
In Capiz, NFA Information Officer Edna Artates disclosed that the food agency here was already able to buy 237,712 bags of palay since last year until January 5 this year.
The rice inventory in the warehouses of NFA in Capiz accounts for 9,831 bags, Artates said, as she assured Capiceños of sufficient supply of rice this year.
Meanwhile, President Arroyo said that the government will prioritize the implementation of irrigation projects in Pangasinan, the third biggest palay-producing province in the country, to further enhance palay production.
In Pangasinan alone, the Arroyo administration has released about P1 billion for the procurement of palay and help the farmers cope with the high prices of farm inputs. (PIA/Jemin B. Guillermo)