DA, positibong hindi bababa ang produksiyon ng bigas sa kabila ng epekto ng El Niño;
Ahensiya, namamahagi ng solar irrigation at shallow tube well
Ahensiya, namamahagi ng solar irrigation at shallow tube well
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 The group of farmers in the government is aiming to provide sufficient water to the farms in front of El Nino.
00:08 This is so that the effect of this will not be too much in the production of rice.
00:13 Claycel Pardilla in the center of the news live.
00:16 Audrey, the Philippines is still the leading rice importer in the whole world
00:24 according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
00:28 Some groups of farmers are worried about the high number of rice imports.
00:33 According to the USDA, the Philippines will import 3.8 million metric tons of rice this 2024.
00:44 This is higher than the 3.6 million metric tons that the Philippines imported in 2023.
00:53 According to the United Agriculture Industry, if the effect of El Nino will be severe in the production of rice,
00:59 it is possible that the imported rice will increase.
01:03 It will only increase if there will be problems in the production.
01:13 If the import is too high, the farm will be depressed, it will fall.
01:18 Many will be affected, many will stop.
01:21 That is why the government needs to provide sufficient water to the farms.
01:27 There are areas that report a shortage of water, especially rice producing areas like Bulacan and Nueva Ecija.
01:34 We're hoping that the DA will intervene there.
01:37 Because it's a nature rice producing area, so it will have a big impact if Nueva Ecija will have problems
01:43 as far as rice production and harvest is concerned.
01:47 The National Irrigation Administration is continuing to provide water.
01:52 The Department of Agriculture is also focused on areas where irrigation is not available,
01:58 where the Solar Irrigation and Shallow Tube Well Agency will be distributed,
02:03 while other agencies are providing water to areas where rice cannot be produced.
02:09 Despite the El Nino flood, the Department of Agriculture is positive that rice production will not decrease
02:17 and that 20 million rice will be produced this year.
02:21 Many rice plants are hybrid rice that is resistant or can survive in hot weather.
02:28 If this happens, the DA will answer to the USDA's request.
02:33 Local production has a big impact on volume.
02:40 If there is rice there now, you won't be able to increase the volume.
02:44 If there is a lot of local production, they will not import so much, like what happened last year.
02:49 Meanwhile, in front of the low price of sugar,
02:57 the local sugar of our farmers is being sold.
03:02 According to the Sugar Regulatory Administration,
03:05 they will use a budget of P5 billion from the Philippine International Trading Corporation,
03:12 which is an agency that will buy sugar.
03:15 They expect to buy 1.8 million bags from the budget
03:21 that will be sold in retail or as a buffer stock.
03:25 For now, the raw sugar bag is P2,400 to P2,500.
03:33 The target is to buy the buffer stock for P2,800 to sell for P85 per kilo.
03:43 That is cheaper than the prevailing price of P70 to P100 per kilo of white sugar.
03:51 Audrey?
03:52 Okay, Claycel, let's go back to the issue of rice.
03:55 If our fight against El Nino,
03:58 this so-called hybrid rice that can survive even if it is dried,
04:03 will its production be sufficient until we finish El Nino?
04:09 Audrey, for now, the Philippines is not yet rice self-sufficient.
04:20 It means that we produce rice,
04:24 but we still have a shortage of rice.
04:26 And that is what is being produced by imported rice.
04:31 Now, the Department of Agriculture is continuing to provide hybrid rice or seeds
04:37 to help increase our production.
04:41 Audrey?
04:42 Thank you very much, Claycel Pardinia.