Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap yesterday reiterated that the country is not facing a rice shortage amid the soaring prices of the commodity in the world market.

“I would like to reiterate the position of the DA that we do not have a shortage. Shortage or food crisis means we are already rationing food,” Yap, who was in Sagay City yesterday, said.

He said rice is available although prices are firming up because the world’s rice production is not the same as before. In fact, the 2007 production only increased by less than one percent compared to 2006, yet the population is increasing, he noted.

Yap said the price of rise is going up because the costs of fertilizer and transportation is also increasing as well as the freight charges, adding that climate change has also affected rice production.

He said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the National Food Authority to continue safeguarding the national rice buffer stock.

“The President has been very strict in ordering the NFA to prudently manage the buffer stock. To distribute rice so  there will be supply in the market, hindi para habulin ang presyo (not to control the prices),” the DA chief said.

The Philippines, one of the world’s biggest rice importers, is now having difficulty sourcing enough rice supply  to meet this year’s import requirement of up to 1.8 million tons because of increasing prices and tight world supply.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said earlier this week the government has tapped the emergency regional rice stock to obtain 500,000 tons.

This is part of the DA study, he said, on whether the present supply is really good for 90 days.

NFA Deputy Administrator Ludovico Jarina had also said the government sought rice supplies from the East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve, a stockpile sourced from Southeast Asian countries and from China, Japan and South Korea.

Thailand had committed to set aside 15,000 tons for the Philippines under the emergency reserve program, the NFA said.*NLG

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