NFA sets bidding for importation of 500,000-MT rice this year

Contrary to claims the country will achieve self-sufficiency in rice this year, the National Food Authority (NFA) will be importing an initial 500,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to prop up the country’s buffer stock.

The NFA yesterday announced it will be conducting a bidding on Feb. 18 for the importation of rice which was appropriated a budget of P6.6 billion.

Invited to submit their tenders are the country’s regular rice suppliers, namely Thailand, Vietnam and China.

NFA Deputy Administrator Gregorio Y. Tan Jr. said that government suppliers who have delivered to the NFA within the last two years with established track record could be awarded a maximum of 25,000 MT.

The country imported close to 11 percent of its domestic rice requirement last year, higher than the six percent originally reported by the DA.

The Philippines is targeting to achieve 97-percent to 100- percent self-sufficiency in rice this year which means it should limit its rice imports to a maximum of 300,000 MT.

For the whole of 2004, the country would need 9.818 million MT or 196.36 million bags of milled rice. To meet that volume, domestic palay production must reach over 15.105 million MT or 302.1 million bags, given the country’s 65-percent average milling recovery rate.

The DA however, is projecting palay production to hit only 14.9 million MT this year. Some are even skeptical that this could be met at all because a looming water shortage in the first quarter that could stretch into the summer months, already forced a five- percent reduction in water supply for irrigation in Central Luzon.

Still, Frisco M. Malabanan, director of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) rice program, said the water shortage will not affect set targets.

"We can still produce between 14.8 million metric tons (MT) and 15.1 million MT of palay (unmilled rice) for 2004," he said, adding that the DA already started cloud seeding operation to complement any reduction in supply for irrigation.

Boosting palay output this year, according to Malabanan, is the planting of hybrid rice seeds over 600,000 hectares of farmland. He noted that the average harvest of hybrid rice is 30 percent higher than ordinary certified seeds.