00:00Since the year kicked off more than 11 months back, the Department of Agriculture has been steadily beefing up its grain stockpiles for the lean and mean months.
00:09And they have arrived. But close to 4.5 million metric tons of nation's staple grain will suffice to tide it over at least three months.
00:17Art Noel Talakay on the state of sufficiency in rice the country enjoys right now.
00:23Despite the typhoons and other calamities that hit the country this year and left crops and produce in agricultural ruin,
00:33the Department of Agriculture, or DA, has assured the public the country still has enough supply of rice to last up to the first quarter of 2025.
00:43Thank a lot to imported rice that has saved the day to tide the country over during days of lean.
00:50According to the data of DA, the Philippines has imported 4.48 million metric tons of rice from January to December this year.
01:14The mesa says the projection of rice production in the country might only be good for 19.29 million metric tons and not enough to cover the buffer stock.
01:31The projection of rice program will lower production at 19.3 million metric tons.
01:41He also explains how the typhoons and El Nino combined to adversely affect production and supply of produce.
01:49Like in Palay or Anjas rice, he says the current and initial amount of Palay loss in the country has reached 800,000 metric tons.
01:59In Western Rizayas, the eruption of Mount Canlaon destroyed crops, property, and personal stuff in the initial amount of more a million pesos.
02:09The latest damage report in Canlaon due to the volcanic activity is at 1.39 million affecting 40 farmers.
02:20Most of these are rice at 620,000, corn at 350,000, and high value at 420,000.
02:31The mesa also assures the public of no increase in the prices of vegetables and other agricultural produce coming from Western Rizayas
02:41because the number of affected farmers is still few and located in affected areas which are very concentrated.
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