Planting rice is never fun

“Planting rice is never fun; bent from mornin’ till the set of sun. Cannot sit, cannot stand, plant the seedlings all by hand.” That’s an old song many of us – I’m sure – remember learning during kindergarten. Planting rice is really not a lot of fun for a lot of farmers, but it is something they just need to do no matter what because this grain is a staple that is in demand not only in this country but in most parts of the world – which we have taken for granted. Unfortunately, it seems rice farmers have not been given that much attention or help in the past. In many areas, irrigation systems. dryers and other post-harvest facilities including warehouses and farm-to-market roads are lacking, resulting in grains getting wasted or becoming more expensive.

As early as 30 years ago, Enrique Zobel and Danding Cojuangco, both gentleman-farmers, have been warning that developing the agriculture sector must be made the number one priority. It seems both present and past governments have not listened enough. While the country may want to become industrialized and be at par with the rest of the world in terms of technology, these two gentleman-farmers believed that at the end of the day, food security is the number one area that must be given the highest priority. Today, we are about to suffer the consequences of failing to heed their warning so many years ago. There’s no question there is already a rice and food crisis all over the world due to the increasing demand, compounded by high fuel costs.

While the Philippines has been producing a major portion of its rice requirement, it still needs to import to cover possible shortfalls and to maintain a two-month stock inventory. Importing rice and other staples may seem cheaper at this time, but we cannot afford to become dependent on imports especially at this time when the world faces a looming rice and food shortage. More than the ZTE-NBN deal, the Spratlys issue and other controversies – an impending rice and food crisis is a major disaster hanging over this country.

Experts have already warned of a global food crisis this year, with more people going hungry due to rising oil prices, world population explosion and food scarcity, exacerbated by global warming. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, rising prices have triggered a food crisis in 36 countries. The UN World Food Program has warned that 73 million people in Africa, Asia and Central America face reduced rations if they fail to raise $500 million in funds.

The World Bank has also predicted worldwide demand for food to double by 2030 – and this is partly attributed to the growing world population, expected to reach nine billion by 2050. Global warming is wreaking havoc on food production in many countries due to droughts and floods. Last year, Australia suffered its worst drought ever, causing a decrease in crops by more than 50 percent.

Naturally, countries producing rice and other crops will not want to sell their harvest to ensure their domestic supply. This may sound funny but in the UK, a rice industry association has expressed concern that Indian curry, a favorite dish, will become more expensive because India and China are hoarding rice supplies. In fact, India’s decision to ban rice exports last month has plunged Bangladesh into a crisis because a cyclone last December destroyed $600 million worth of its rice crop. Vietnam is also limiting its overseas sales, while Thailand plans to auction 500,000 tons of rice to cater to increasing demand in the world market. According to Duncan Macintosh of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), additional 50 million tons of rice, from the current levels of 520 million tons, is needed every year until 2015 to narrow the demand and supply gap.

I have said it before and I will say it again: population management is a key factor in any kind of economic situation, and we have not done enough to manage our population, with more mouths to feed amid dwindling resources. There will be – without question – 100 million Filipinos by 2016. And even if we have zero population growth today, it is inevitable we will reach the 100 million mark in less than 10 years. And where will we get the resources to feed all those people if we have a crisis, and if we do not address the problem of food security? The fact is, agricultural growth and development has been disrupted and neglected. We have been turning agricultural lands into housing and commercial areas, and even into golf courses.

Even the conversion of lands to produce biofuel crops is fueling debate, with experts warning that it would be disastrous to increase biofuels crop production just when the world needs an increase in food production. British Conservative Party leader David Cameron lashed against biofuels production, pointing out that the grain needed to produce one tank of fuel for a sports utility vehicle is enough to feed a person for a whole year.

It’s obvious a balancing act is needed in light of an impending global crisis. Businessmen have to start thinking seriously about this looming disaster and see how they can help mitigate its effects. But more than anything, government has to face up to the reality of this impending crisis – and listen to the grumbling stomachs of the poor. As our population continues to grow with more people added to the poorer sector, a food crisis could lead to food riots – and no amount of force could stop this catastrophe – because hunger knows no laws.

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