As the heat of the sun intensifies and the words 'summer' , 'beach' , 'vacation' and 'holiday' are in many people's minds, a dark and inconvenient truth (to quote a popular documentary) looms above most Filipinos. The imminent shortage of rice and its corresponding price increase threatens to ruin any plans for an out of town frolic or even a short trip to the nearest municipal pool (if there ever is one). In these times of hardship, coupled with the drop of the dollar rate makes us think hard about our finances and the way we spend. Already, people have started to bu rice in bulk in anticipation to the rice increase. For sure suppliers and middle traders have started to hoard this precious staple commodity so they can make more money as this is one opportunity for them to rake in the extra bucks. However, officials have reassured citizens of Region I that such shortage may not be existent, at least for the time being. Here is the positive news as reported in the SUNDAY PUNCH:
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An official of the Department of Agriculture is confident that the Ilocos Region will be spared from an impending rice shortage in the coming months.
Director Cipriano Santiago of the DA field office based in San Fernando City, La Union said he is optimistic that the region’s target harvest of 1.7 million metric tons of rice will be achieved in the coming wet season despite reported decreasing production of grains worldwide.
He said this expected harvest will be the region’s contribution to the national rice stockpile that could help forestall any rice shortage in any part of the country.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap mobilized the DA field office to motivate farmers to expand their production areas in order to achieve target harvest.
Santiago said the DA programmed 310,000 hectares of land to be planted with rice in Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte during the wet season.
Pangasinan will account for one half of the programmed areas.
Santiago said the 1.7million metric tons to be produced by farmers will be more than enough for the consumption of the region’s population, with the excess to be sold outside.
The region had just harvested its second cropping for rice and 6,000hectares of land is ready for third cropping starting in May this year.
Most of the third crop rice will be planted in Pangasinan and Ilocos Norte whose farmers traditionally plant rice early.—LM
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