Rice self-sufficiency goal set back to 2020

By Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star), March 16, 2017

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has once again pushed back its rice self-sufficiency goal by another year to 2020 due to lack of available budget and as it buys more time to implement strategies to improve the sector.

“We have to make adjustments due to non-availability of funds. I’m still struggling,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told reporters in a chance interview.

While he moved his target, Pinol is banking on strategies to achieve the goal including promotion of hybrid seeds, access to credit and loans, access to right marketing, and provision of post-harvest facilities.

To provide easy access to credit and financial assistance, the DA has proposed to Congress the enactment of a Quick Credit Facility (QCF) that will help farmers and fisherfolks.

The Agricultural Credit and Policy Council also launched the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program for calamity-stricken farmers.

The DA will organize rice farmers into highly-functioning organizations and assist them in setting-up farmer-owned rice outlets in key areas to give producers access to market.

Through this strategy, the DA aims to eliminate unnecessary layers in the market system.

The DA will likewise prioritize the distribution of efficient post-harvest facilities.

It is seeking a P20-billion budget next year for the distribution of solar irrigation system, which forms part of the rice expansion program for 2017.