DA, positibong hindi bababa ang produksiyon ng bigas sa kabila ng epekto ng El Niño

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DA, positibong hindi bababa ang produksiyon ng bigas sa kabila ng epekto ng El Niño;   Ahensiya, namamahagi ng solar irrigation at shallow tube well

Transcript

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.

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