Rice self-sufficiency: Impossible to attain or to personally earn?

Early March, National Food Authority spokepersons have been saying that it is impossible for the Philippines to attain 100% rice sufficiency because of its topography. The country has no wide flat lands unlike China or Thailand. The only way to have sufficient rice on the Filipino table is to import. Which is also one of the Solomonic decisions of their president, Gloria Arroyo.

Okay. Granted. But look at this:

World looks to Japan's rice mountain to ease crisis

AFP/Inquirer.Net

TOKYO--World leaders looking for ways to ease global food shortages may have found one answer in warehouses dotted around Japan where a rice mountain is standing idle.

The United States is considering relaxing a trade agreement between the world's two largest economies to allow Japan to sell imported US rice on the global market.

Tokyo is already preparing to ship 200,000 tonnes to the Philippines, but that is just a fraction of the 1.5 million tonnes of imported foreign rice that is stored in sacks piled high in air-conditioned government warehouses.

"We have a big stockpile of Japanese rice, so we can export rice for poor people worldwide to save their lives in an emergency," said Nobuhiro Suzuki, an agriculture professor at Tokyo University.

Rice, a staple food for the Japanese, was scarce following the end of World War II but as agricultural advances boosted global harvests, Japan erected barriers to protect its farmers.

Under pressure from heavyweight trading partners, Tokyo agreed in the early 1990s to open the door to a minimum amount of imports, and now accepts 770,000 tonnes of foreign rice every year.

To sell these stocks outside its domestic market, Japan is required to obtain approval from the exporting countries.

Vice farm minister Toshirou Shirasu told reporters last week that the government plans to respond to the Philippine request for rice "as quickly as possible" and would favorably consider other approaches.

Japan also announced Friday that it will send 20,000 tonnes of rice to developing countries in Africa and elsewhere from its stockpiles to help ease food shortages.

Japan is worse than the Philippines if topography is the issue. And the land of the rising sun was also worse than the pearl of the orient immediately after the second world war. But look at Japan today? And the Japanese are exporting rice? Helloeeeerrrr!!!!!????

If there are no reports that in every importation there are kickbacks and SOPS, and if there are no rumors that some of the Arroyos are into smuggling, I would have believed that the NFA is really an authority in what it is saying.

Kung sabagay, humans err. The sitting duck... err, president erred several times, too. First she said she will not run but she under-estimated her greed. So she ran and licked the saliva she splattered on the carabao dung in Pangasinan. And she called Garci and asked for an apology. And she admitted erring when she signed the contract with ZTE. So it's okay to err. Basta ba malaki ang kita... magkano ba tayo diyan, pre?

Rice auction fails

Headline ng Inquirer: NFA rice auction fails

A portion of the report reads:

THE PHILIPPINES, THE WORLD’S biggest rice importer, failed to buy new supplies of the staple on Monday after its auction attracted only one bidder, plunging Asia’s rice market into uncertainty.

National Food Authority (NFA) Deputy Administrator Ludovico Jarina said the fact that only one company submitted a bid—Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood)—indicated “a tightness” of supply in the world market.

Yesterday’s auction was for 675,000 metric tons.

The auction was held in the midst of rising prices of rice in the country caused by uncertainty over the stability of supply. This has prompted the Arroyo administration to adopt several measures, such as a new distribution system involving issuing rice cards to the poorest households in Metro Manila to enable them to buy NFA rice, priced at P18.25 a kilo.

Teka, akala ko ba under control ang lahat? Ano itong balita ng Inquirer? Or this just adds to another Orwellian talk ni sitting duck... este, sitting president Gloria in the Palace? Kung sabagay, kelan pa nga pala siya nagsimula na magsabi ng totoo? When she she said she will not run?... Hmmmnnn

GMA feeling secure over rice importation?

I don't know what kind of economist is Gloria in the Palace. As Malaya reports:

Arroyo on Friday said the Philippines has concluded contracts with Thailand, Vietnam, and other Asian countries for 1.2 million metric tons of rice. The volume, she said, is "enough to cover the 10 percent differential which is our production and consumption."

She said the country is buying more rice only for "buffer stocks."

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap also Friday said government would try to maintain at least a 30-day inventory of stocks during the third quarter, a traditionally lean period for rice supplies.

"We are going to enter July with 32 days inventory so we will continue procuring to keep buffer stocks at 30 days," he said.

He echoed Arroyo's statement, saying the National Food Authority has bought enough imported rice to meet domestic demand and remaining tenders will go to boosting buffer stocks.

Hanggang ganyan na lang ba talaga ang kayang arukin ng pag-iisip ni Gng. Arroyo? Or is she just doing a Rovian Tactic to hide some things from the public? PolitechWatch (see also Biklish) has this conclusion:

It should be noted that early this year, the Arroyo Government has been assuring the public that there is no rice shortage in the country. Even independent economic analysts have been forecasting the same as the National Food Authority (NFA) had ample stocks to last for months and that the harvest season is yet to come. But when the Lozada expose on the ZTE Scandal became out of control, the government immediately shifted its stand and started carrying the issue of food security. This, in a way, became a clear Rovian tactic aimed at killing the messages thrown at the Arroyo Administration particularly on government mismanagement and rampant corruption.

True, the issue on food security is an issue that affects not only the Philippines but also the rest of the world. Even then, it cannot be said that the Arroyo government is just responding to the fact. First, when Mrs. Arroyo took over the reins of government, she already know that the trade imbalance with regards rice and other agricultural produce is already unfavorable to the country. As a matter of fact, the Philippines is already the largest importer of rice in the world. Still, she did nothing to correct this mess by at least giving special attention to the farmers.

Second, now that the country is already being threatened by food shortage, her policy is still leaning towards food importation. This had been made clear when the NFA's thrust for this year is to buy more rice from other countries rather than directly address the issue of high costs of production. The problem, rice producing countries like Thailand has instituted ban on exports of the staple food. To make the matters worse, other rice exporting countries also decided to form a cartel to regulate rice exports and prices. Thus, to quote Palawan Representative Abraham Mitra: What’s the use of your money if no rice is available at any price overseas? It’s like looking for water in the desert. You may be willing to exchange a bar of gold for a cup of water but it’s totally worthless if there’s not a single drop around.

Third, the sincerity of the government is also lacking as until now, no member of the local rice cartel has been caught and punished. What Arroyo government had been boasting in the last few weeks is the apprehension of the “Mosquito Gang” in Isabela – a loose organization of rice traders who are known for stocking a few hundred sacks of rice. What it failed to catch are the giant rice hoarders some of whom are known to be the members of “Binondo 9” – also a loose organization of rice traders known for hoarding tons of rice.

The sincerity is also lacking as the Arroyo government failed to catch rice smugglers. To note, in addition to the regular anti-smuggling agencies, Mrs. Arroyo has also organized the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). With the numerous anti-smuggling agencies of the government, how come there is no catch? Whether or not this just validate the rumors that some members of the first family are also involved in rice smuggling, nobody can tell. But one sure thing is that the PASG, one of highly financed agencies to eradicate smuggling, has concentrated its efforts mainly on curbing the smuggling of luxury cars rather than eliminating the smuggling of basic commodities. For this reason, rice smuggling continuous. If reports are to be believed, smuggled rice consists of 15-percent to 21-percent of the total rice imports of the country – a raison d'être of the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries. And this hurts more the local producers as their price becomes more and more uncompetitive due to the influx of smuggled rice.

Lastly, and the clearest evidence why the Arroyo Government is just warding off the issues on mismanagement and corruption, is her US$120 million (P5 billion) aid for the poor program. This she announced a few days ago with the idea of doling out a maximum of US$33 (PhP1,400) per poor family per month as an additional money to buy food for the table. In short, instead of addressing the root cause of the food security issue, Mrs. Arroyo will be issuing a placebo to show that she is a working president and thereby ward off the claims that are haunting her administration.

Rice shortage or Lies shortage?

Circulating in the SMS-sphere:

The ZTE Scandal has broken the relation between China and the Philippines. To mend this, GMA visited Beijing. The Chinese president was very accommodating and devoid of Orwellian talks typical of GMA, he offered his country's help to solve the Philippines' alleged rice shortage.

Chinese Translator: Oul plesident asks if del is a lice sholtage in the Pilipins. (Our president asks if there is a rice shortage in the Philippines.)
GMA (mimicking the way the translator speaks para magpa-cute): How thoughtful but please tell youl plesident we have no lies sholtage in the Philippines.

Kung sabagay, wala nga naman talaga tayong pagkukulang sa mga kasinungalingan.

There are even thoughts that there is really no rice shortage. Gimik lang ng Malacanang para matabunan ang isyu ng ZTE, ng Supreme Court Decision at ng mga akusasyon ni Lozada. Whether this is true or not, di natin alam. Ang nakapagtataka lang, bakit ngayong panahon ng anihan lumabas ang issue ng alleged rice shortage?

Rice sufficiency? Hellooueeer!!!!????

A funny story from Inquirer.Net: RP aims for 92% self-sufficiency in rice in 2008

According to the report, the ambitious plan came after Gloria Arroyo "announced an ambitious multi-billion-peso plan to overhaul the country's agricultural sector to cope with the rising world price of food, particularly rice, the national diet staple."

The methods? Restoring irrigation and post-harvest facilities.

With the presence of the International Rice Research Institute in the country, marami ang puwedeng maniwala. But analyzing how the government handles the taxpayers' money (Note: the "liquified" fertilizer, and the latest: ang nababoy na Swine Program implemented with Quedancor), along with its policies supporting the Filipino farmers, mukhang suntok sa buwan lang ang mga pronouncements. Bakit kamo? Let us count the ways:

First, when the Philippines entered the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trades (GATT) as well as the World Trade Organization (WTO), there was no realistic safety net offered to the agricultural sector. So ngayon, binabaha tayo ng cheap agricultural products from other countries, nasaan na ang mga pinoy na nagtatanim ng palay?

Ikalawa, rice smuggling is un-abated. Worse, me mga ilang taga-gobyerno pa na sangkot dito. Ano ang ginagawa nila? Ang Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG), ano lang ba ang hinahabol: smuggled na luxury cars?

Ikatlo, asan ang mga pera na dapat ay mapupunta sa mga magsasaka? Should we still ask Jocjoc Bolante for the issue of the fertilizer na allegedly ginamit ni Gloria noong nakaraang eleksiyon?

Ikaapat, ano na ang nangyayari sa mga lupa na dati ay tinatamnan ng mga palay? Ginagawang subdibisyon. Kahit nga ang Banawe Rice Terraces unti-unti nang naglalaho at ginagawang Banawe Subdivision Terraces. Bakit? Dahil malinaw ang pera... este ang polisiya ng gobyerno -- polisiya na wala itong pakialam kung mawalan man ng mga taniman ng palay basta merong tatayong mga bahay. Kung sabagay, dalawa ang kita dito: una, sa lobbying para sa conversion ng lupa, at ikalawa, building permits. Tanungin niyo si suspended Mayor Ping Cuerpo kung magkano. O kaya tingnan niyo sa Google Earth paano inaararo ang Montalban para gawing TANIMAN NG BAHAY. And Montalban is not alone. Look at Bulacan. Marami din dun.

Ikalima, even the National Food Authority, instead na bumili sa mga magsasaka, ay bumibili sa labas ng bansa. In simple terms, nag-iimport.

Ikaanim, wala ring tiwala ang mga taga-gobyerno na matutupad talaga ito. Consider the NFA saying the mag-iimport pa rin sila dahil "it was still more expensive to produce rice in an archipelagic country like the Philippines compared with those with large land masses like Thailand and Viet Nam." So how can we believe something to be realized kung ang proponents nito ay hindi nga naniniwala. It's like a priest saying "Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife" pero sa loob-loob nito "because I am the only one entitled to do so". Or, it's like hearing a government official say "I am waging a war against corruption" pero sa loob-loob niya may karugtong na "kasi magkakaroon ako ng kakumpetensiya". Look at Gloria.

Kung sabagay, it's not impossible nga namn to attain rice sufficiency. Madali lang yun: Mag-import ng mag-import. Anyway, marami naman tayong dollars na galing sa mga overseas Filipino workers. What's the use of these slaves sacrificing their lives and being called as the contemporary "Filipino Heroes"?

Marketing the Rice Importation Idea?

According to Felipe Medalla, UP Economics professor and former planning secretary: The collective wisdom of the market should decide importation… The more the government interferes in the market, the more the economy is vulnerable to shocks and crisis.

What Medalla is saying is to let the market decide everything and that the government should have lesser interference on importation. But will this give us an assurance that:

• The rice cartel will not be in-charged of the importation?


• That the people will be assured that rice prices will become lower?


• That the government will be able to control smuggling, specifically rice smuggling?


• That the farmers will not be on the negative side should there be importation of rice?

Dahil sa patuloy na denial-to-death ng gobyerno lalong nabubuhay ang rice cartel. With this, magkakaroon kaya ng assurance na hindi ang kartel ang magiging in-charged ng importation?

Siyempre dahil open na ang importation, puwedeng lalong umigting ang smuggling. At siyempre dahil mura ang bigas galing sa smuggling, puwedeng mag-usap ang mga smugglers at ang rice cartel. O di ba, happy together? To note, ni hindi nga nakokontrol ang smuggling so this is not impossible. According to whispering spirits, me mga kakutsaba pa nga ang mga smugglers diyan mismo sa gobyerno. Me mga nagsasabi pa nga na ang ilan sa mga smuggling lords ay nakatira pa sa palasyo.

Lastly, opening up the imports will, of course, hurt the local producers. When the Philippines signed up the WTO and the GATT, wala itong ginawang safety nets para sa mga local producers. Lalo na ngayon na ang concentration ng efforts ng gobyerno ay broadband deal at ang "anti-corruption of the corruption efforts". Ibig sabihin, bahala na ang mga local producers sa kanilang mga sarili.

Kung sabagay, even the government's puppy, si Papa Neri, nagsabi na oligarchy ang Pilipinas. Ibig sabihin, the efforts of the government is designed not to answer the needs and interests of the people (as in the case of the real democracy) but to serve the welfare of the selected few.