Phl may export rice by 2013

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines may start exporting rice to other Asian countries in the first quarter of 2013 if no major calamities hit the country, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said yesterday.

Alcala made the statement after National Irrigation Administration (NIA) chief Antonio Nangel inspected irrigation systems under construction and agriculture rehabilitation projects in five provinces.

In a meeting with farmers in Masbate, Alcala said the country should no longer import rice from its Southeast Asian neighbors but instead depend solely on its palay production.

“Our rice importation era will end next year since our palay production will be enough for our consumption and reserves starting next year,” he said.

Alcala attributed the good news to new technologies imparted to farmers, better post-harvest facilities, and a progressive irrigation system.

Nangel, for his part, said the NIA is working round-the-clock to meet the deadline for the country’s rice sufficiency through bountiful palay harvest by 2013.

He said the construction of new irrigation systems in the countryside and the rehabilitation of dilapidated and old irrigation canals are the results of bounty harvests this year.

He said that before the Aquino administration, there were only 1.5 million hectares of irrigated land in the country.

“We need at least 1.8 million hectares of irrigated farms to be able to produce enough palay so that our country will be rice-sufficient,” Nagel said.

“By next year, we will surpass that 1.8 million hectares of irrigated lands. Thanks to President Aquino for prioritizing our agricultural sector and to Secretary Alcala for his rice sufficiency program,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it will allocate some P50 million yearly for water irrigation in upland communities.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the move is in support of the project being spearheaded by Earth Day Network Philippines Inc. (EDNPI).

“The undertaking, which will also be supported by the departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform under the convergence program, promotes upgrading of the capture of water in the upland. It is better to catch water in the upland as a resource because if you pay attention to it once it has flowed down, that is flooding already,” he said.

It is envisioned that some 22 million cubic meters of water per year or one cubic meter daily will be supplied to target communities.

EDNPI executive director Voltaire Perez said the project, which entails installation of 100 hydraulic ram pumps by 2013, targets to improve the irrigation capacity of communities. - With Rhodina Villanueva