Rice supply
IT is reassuring to know that there’s sufficient rice supply in the Philippines, a Southeast nation of rice-eating people.
And the public is made to believe that safety nets are in place to blunt rice price hikes even during the “lean months” in the country.
The “lean season” usually lasts up to September. The harvest season, on the other hand, starts in October.
President Marcos is set to make a state visit to Vietnam, a co-member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations later this month.
The three-day visit (January 29-31) is seen to boost bilateral relations between the Philippines and Vietnam, a major rice exporter.
In fact, the two Asian neighbors have agreed to finalize a rice trade agreement, which aims to ensure Manila’s food security.
“Basically, it guarantees that they will be supplying rice to us even in calamity situations,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr.
“As far as supply is concerned, we have enough supply of rice…We have healthy stocks of rice…and there’s additional rice coming,” he said.
We share the view of many that rice prices are hard to predict because world prices are going up because of the El Nino phenomenon.
However, we believe that concerned government offices and agencies are in a position to protect the interests of the Filipino people.
