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THE
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
on Thursday lamented the government’s solution to the
rice crisis as the prelates argued that the country
should not look at importation of the staple food as a
“permanent arrangement.”
“Rice
importation is a response to rice crisis. But there must
be a limit to importations. It should not be the
permanent arrangement,” said CBCP president Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo in a statement entitled “Give us this day
our daily rice.”
Lagdameo
said the rice crisis was “probably foreseen and
expected” and blames the government for having “its eyes
on wrong or lesser priorities,” something that is now
forcing it to import the product from overseas sources.
At the
same time, Senate leaders urged Malacañang to use a big
portion of the P5-billion subsidy on priority
investments in rice production, and to mitigate rice
infestation.
Sen.
Edgardo Angara said providing subsidy on investments in
irrigation, hybrid seeds and postharvest facilities will
help “make sure the jumbo fund is effectively spent in
boosting the country’s rice stocks.”
At the
same time, Senate President Manny Villar Jr. asked that
a portion of the subsidy fund be used to mitigate
infestation of rice black bugs (RBB) in farm lands.
“Yes, we
will have rice on our tables, but only for those who can
afford to buy with P18 per kilogram. We will have not
only limited rice. Our people will have also limited
buying power,” Lagdameo said.
“And who
will be profiting from this arrangement? Unscrupulous
traders and government officials? The question keeps
coming up—whatever happened to the P729-million
fertilizer fund?” asked the CBCP president.
The
multimillion-peso fund was reported to have never been
used to assist farmers but was allegedly diverted to the
campaign kitty of administration candidates in 2004.
The
multisectoral Fair Trade Alliance (FairTrade) on
Wednesday also urged the government to strengthen local
production of agricultural food crops instead of
resorting to importation to avert the country’s food
crisis.
FairTrade said at its People’s Food Summit that the
government should further strengthen the production of
the country’s primary food staples like rice, corn,
chicken, pork and vegetables.
Lagdameo
suggested that the government work to improve local
production by assisting rice producers and farmers to
achieve “genuine food security and self-sufficiency.”
“Some
policies are needed to reverse the trend from
overdependence on importation to making rice production
truly the backbone of our economy, as it is in other
countries of Southeast Asia,” he said.
He noted
how in the past, the Philippine economy relied solely on
the rice industry as local farmers were even also able
to feed and send their children to school through
farming.
The
industry was so alive, he said, that the country even
helped countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and
Indonesia improve their rice production.
“Add to
this is the conversion of farms into housing
subdivisions, commercial centers and golf courses, which
certainly are profitable for the individual owners but
not for the needs of the greater number [of people].”
Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma
sought a review of an agreement between the Philippine
government and China over the use of 1.2 million
hectares of land for agribusiness.
Calling
the deal “highly questionable,” Ledesma noted that it
may be disadvantageous to local farmers and worsen “our
fragile” environment.
In a
statement, Villar expressed concern that RBB remains a
problem in rice farms in the country, recalling his
visit to Albuera and Ormoc, Leyte, when he was still
chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food
during which farmers were already complaining about this
problem.
Villar’s
office confirmed from reports that in the past two
years, vast rice farms, in Dinapique in Isabela, several
towns in Iloilo, as well as in the province of Sorsogon
were attacked by the RBB.
He cited
the latest study conducted by the Department of Science
and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Natural Resources Research and Development
which found that RBB causes 15 percent to 23 percent
yield loss in rice.
According to Villar, RBB attacks rice grains and yams,
and kills the plants by infesting the base of stems and
draining them of saps, resulting in the weakening of the
plants and eventual death.
As this
developed, political leaders in Pangasinan joined the
clamor for the national government to implement a
fertilizer-subsidy program to increase palay yield in
the midst of the reported rice shortage in the country.
Rep.
Mark O. Cojuangco (fifth district), Abono Party-list
Rep. Robert “Eskimo” Estrella, and Gov. Amado T. Espino
Jr. took into account the vast agricultural area of
Pangasinan that could support the increase of rice
production. The call was initially initiated by the
Kapuso Multipurpose Cooperative through its chairman
Michael Morden.
The
provincial leaders said Pangasinan could use its 87,849
hectares of irrigated land for rice planting and
90,316.5 hectares rain-fed rice land complemented by
scientific findings of agriculture experts from the
region and from the International Rice Research
Institute on the positive effect of adding
nitrogen-based fertilizer for increased palay yield.
Cojuangco said subsidizing part of the total fertilizer
needs of the farmers per hectare would go a long way in
easing the cost burden of the palay farmer.
Estrella,
on the other hand, said the current palay price of
P17.50 per kilo is a good stimulant for more farmers to
plant the crop for them to eventually benefit from the
projected increase in its prices come next harvest
season.
There is
no need for new money in implementing a
fertilizer-subsidy program. It’s just a matter of
realigning rice-importation funds, estimated at nearly
P60 Billion, for fertilizer subsidy, Morden said.
Dr.
Edmund Quinit, regional rice coordinator of the DA
Region I Rice Program, said adding two extra bags of
nitrogen fertilizers would result in an additional palay
yield of 1.5 metric tons to 2 metric tons per hectare
depending on the variety of seed to be planted.
Meanwhile, despite the woes over the feared rice
shortage, the Department of Education (DepEd) on
Wednesday gave assurance that its food-for-school
program will not be affected this coming school year.
“Our
program was not affected for the school year and we hope
that it will not be affected by the so-called rice
shortage,” DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said.
The
department’s Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) runs the
Food-for-School Program which seeks to address both the
malnutrition and academic performance of
elementary-school children in selected schools
nationwide.
Director
Thelma Santos, head of the HNC, said that the program
specifically aims to improve school attendance and
academic performance of Grades I and II pupils.
Under
the program, each recipient child are given a ration of
1 kilogram of rice a day for 95 days in five months. The
program benefited some 50,000 schoolchildren and their
families in depressed and underserved communities across
the country. (With J. Manaois and C. Mocon) |
