National Rice Board Formed to Ensure Self-Sufficiency

Rice Self-Sufficiency Using Nutriplant Organics

Major stakeholders in the rice sector, including local agriculture officers and the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Councils under the Department of Agriculture (DA) formed an advisory board that seeks to ensure that the Philippines will be able to achieve its rice self-sufficiency target.

Dubbed as the National Rice Board (NRB), it also consists of leaders of national associations of farmers, seed growers and rice traders.

Agriculture assistant secretary Dennis B. Araullo, who also heads the national rice and corn program, swore in the members of the NRB which include Jaime Tadeo of the National Rice Farmers Council, Trinidad Domingo of Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan, Henry Lim of National Seed Network, Herculano Co of Philcongrains, Jessica Reyes-Cantos of Rice Watch and Action Network (R1), Jesusa Noveda of the League of Devolved Agriculture Personnel and a representative of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

“We hope the board will contribute to improve transparency in the Department of Agriculture, especially in its rice program as we continue to lag behind our neighbors while our own rice farmers struggle to lift their families out of poverty,” said Tadeo.

Lim of the Davao Oriental Seed Cooperative believes that the convergence will bring to fore the real problems of the stakeholders including those of the seed industry and raise their level of participation in policy and program formulation.

Araullo said the creation of the NRB is “long overdue” because the corn sector has long established the National Corn Competitiveness Board that engages the DA on the corn program directions.

Co expressed willingness to be part of the NRB in order to promote greater coordination among stakeholders. “Hopefully, this will be the start of a partnership in order to truly see a rice-sufficient Philippines.”

The NRB was tasked to review and consolidate the stakeholders’ strategy proposals for rice sufficiency and serve as a watchdog of the DA’s rice-related program implementation.

“The DA has been hounded with so many issues, among them [such as] corruption in project implementation and the appropriateness of its programs at the ground level. We believe this cooperation will help define the right priorities of DA programs and plug the holes of government funds delivery and misuse,” said Cantos, lead convener of Rice Watch and Action Network that initiated the formation of the NRB.

Under the Rice Self Sufficiency Plan (RSSP) 2011-2016, the DA estimated that it would need some P124 billion requirement to bankroll the rice self-sufficiency initiative. Of the amount, 65 percent will go to expanding irrigated rice lands.

The estimated amount required for the RSSP also takes into account the government’s counterpart funds for foreign-assisted irrigation projects.

“Rice self sufficiency will be attained by 2013 at the earliest and 2015 at the latest,” according to the RSSP.

On average, the RSSP indicated that palay production will grow by 7.6 percent per year, from 16.2 million metric tons (MMT) in 2010 to 25.3 MMT in 2016.

By Business Mirror


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