Asia's rice research is the top rice import

While waiting for LA last Saturday in Gateway, I decided to drop by to Fullybooked. The China Magazine caught my attention as the topic interest me about Importing Rice in Asia. LA arrived and saw me reading the magazine so he bought it for me (to make up for being late J). While reading the topic, I was dying to write it on my blog so here I am.

In the Philippines, rice import is one of the major problems that the government should have to prioritize. The supply of rice in the Philippines is not sufficient enough for the people that we need to import rice from other countries like China and Vietnam. Note that our major importers have studied Agriculture and done their research here in the Philippines. It’s really odd that Philippines has sufficient knowledge about this field but cannot produce its own crop.

Last year, scarcity in rice production has been one of the major problems we are facing. It was also grim that even the Agriculture secretary has appealed to fast-food chain in national television to serve half servings of their rice since many are light eaters anyway. A Chinese Filipino cabinet member even commented, “It would be a waste giving them the regular amount if they could not finish it all”. Our population is increasing and yet the land allotted for the rice production is getting smaller. Most land converted into subdivision, golf courses, buildings etc. In China Business Magazine, it mentioned that the primary reason the Philippines is not sufficient in rice is the irrigation and we do not have big river system that could sustained water during the dry season. Some expert said that it is very expensive to solve the issue that is why rice import became the solution.

Being said that, I do not know why the government cannot allot a budget into this major problem, which in time will all benefit the Filipino people. I was even crying knowing the conditions of our farmers like how painful for them also to sell their own lands. Sometimes, I even regret why I took up course in Computer Science instead of Agricultural. My heart is tearing apart when I saw in news that the government often neglected our farmer’s needs. Do they not know that the sacrifice they endure under the heat of the sun is not even equal to the money they profit from it? Some even joked that what farmers sow is what others reap. Yes, literally speaking, they do not sow what they reap. Yet a simple help they were asking from the government often neglected. I wonder if this is because official could only profit a little from them compare to the profit they will get in bidding rice import from the officials of the other country? I would like to share the answer of Romeo Royandoyan (Philippine Center for Rural Development Studies executive director) to an interview in China Business Magazine. He was asked from a businessperson’s standpoint, why is it in his interest that we become self-sufficient in rice instead of importing. This is his answer.

To be honest with you, these businessman have nothing to do with rice production. Their interest is in trading, not in whether we’re self-sufficient or we’re importing. They’re in it for profit. Last year, during the crisis, these rice traders hoarded supplies, while the masses were lining up for rice. They hoarded rice because they knew, at a certain point, prices would go up. They should reexamine their priorities and responsibilities to the country. It’s shameful!

That was mouthful and yet true. We just had our garden landscaped recently. During the negotiations, the gardener said that we could choose the plant that we wanted within the price range that we agreed to. My mom and I went to his garden and then I saw the calamansi plant. I immediately collected two of them. I thought to myself that this would benefit us because aside from the plant takes a little space in our garden, it is also one of our basic needs in cooking and beautifying. When this fruit is also not in season, its price strikes high in the market. The gardener also said that plant would bear fruit already in just a few months. I felt so excited when he told me that, imagining that one of our basic needs is just around the corner of our garden to sustain us everyday. Just like in our country, it felt secure to know that we are self-sufficient of our own food security.

I always pray that every Filipino will be awaken and instill to their children the love to their country and care of its natural resources. Let’s not forget that we are the government and not only the officials leading the country. Each of us should have a share of love if we wanted to make things happen. Like the quote “Do what you can do to your country [I would also like to add -fellowmen] instead of what your country can do for you”.