No rice shortage seen in C. Luzon

Tonette Orejas - Inquirer

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines—The seven provinces in Central Luzon will not experience a shortage in rice supply, at least in the next three months starting April, top officials of the Department of Agriculture and National Food Authority in the region said in separate interviews on Saturday.

A deficit was not expected because harvests from 640,913 hectares of rice lands in the region were projected to increase by 8 percent over last year’s dry season output of 2.942 million metric tons (MT), according to Redentor Gatus, DA regional director.

Hybrid varieties yield an average of 5.7 MT per hectare while certified or good seeds give out 4 MT per hectare.

Dry season in the region starts from November to April, and usually supports consumption for 57 days.

The uses of hybrid and certified varieties, soil ameliorant, organic fertilizers, drought-resistant seeds and farming technologies are among the major reasons seen for the anticipated rise in harvest volume, Gatus said.

“We do not expect a shortage. Rice production is sufficient in Central Luzon,” he said.
The DA will also encourage an early wet planting season by May. This paningit (supplement) stage will rely on water available from the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System.

Rice trading intended for Metro Manila will not corner much of the region’s supply as only 20 percent is sold to the country’s capital, Gatus said.

In 2007, Aurora produced 88,317 MT; Bataan, 131,843 MT; Bulacan 304,849 MT; Nueva Ecija 1,356,161 MT; Pampanga 390,290 MT; Tarlac, 557,943 MT; and Zambales, 112,710 MT.

In Pampanga, however, provincial agriculture officer Mario Mangiliman said more than 50 percent of palay are bought by rice traders from Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.

Gov. Eddie Panlilio has called for a rice summit next week to check the province’s capacity to address the looming rice shortage.

Nicolas Crisostomo, NFA regional director, said most of the agency’s 40 warehouses in the region remained filled with 1.465 million bags (50 kilograms each) as of Friday.

At an average daily consumption of 63,000 bags, the stock will last for 22 days, he said.

According to Crisostomo, rice supply in commercial establishments stood last week at 1.304 million bags. On the other hand, stocks in households grossed 1.775 million bags. These supplies are enough to last for 19 days and 26 days, respectively.

Central Luzon has a total supply of 4.543 million bags of rice for 67 days before the harvest for the dry season starts in mid-April, he said.

Crisostomo placated worries over scarcity in supply, saying Central Luzon expects 2.1 million bags in import allocations.

Two ships arrived last week, unloading 480 bags for the region. The vessel, Morning Star, will arrive on Tuesday carrying 573,000 bags for Central Luzon and 225,000 bags for Cagayan Valley.

Rice prices in the region increased at an average of P3 in the market last week. Well-milled rice was sold at P26 a kg while NFA rice was sold at P18.25 a kg.