Time to reengineer

Egay Uy .

CNN’s “On the Record” interviewed Sen. Win Gatchalian on the tariffication bill as a means to address the “rice crisis” of the country, Sec. Lopez of the DTI on the setting of suggested retail prices of rice, and the spokesperson of Bantay Bigas, Cathy Estavillo. The interview provided me with some additional perspectives regarding the supposed rice crisis.

As we know, the Cagayan de Oro City Price Coordinating Council has partnered with various national government agencies, e.g., NFA, Nica, BOC, NBI, and add to that the PNP-Cocpo, in its effort to help curb rice price manipulation and hoarding.  Obscure it may be, the CPCC has gained grounds because of the indefatigable cooperation and dedication of its members.

In that CNN interview, Cathy Estavillo said there is no assurance that the price of rice will decrease once the market will be flooded with imported rice. What is certain, she added, is that the local farmers of rice will be adversely affected so she suggested that government has to train its sights and focus in improving the local production of rice and not rely on the agricultural capabilities of other countries.

“Tiyak na papatayin nito ang kabuhayan ng maraming magsasaka,” she was quoted as saying in the Bantay Bigas Facebook account.  “Hindi rin mainam na prinsipyo sa seguridd sa pagkain at agrikultura ang pag-asa ng pamahalaan sa mga produktong agrikultural ng dayuhang bansa,” she also said in a statement.

A website reports that the in 2015, our country had 124,400 square kilometers of agricultural land.  It increased from 81,300 sq. km. in 1966, growing at an average annual rate of 0.88 percent.  This area is some forty percent of the total land area of the country of 298,170 square kilometers.

This means, needless to state, that there could be a lot of potentials for agricultural projects. If these areas will be developed some more in terms of agricultural production and in the distribution of agricultural produce, our country need not rely to a great extent on other countries for our staple food supply.

Just in case our main suppliers of rice will encounter internal problems of their own, then their exports to us will necessarily be rethought by them.  And it will leave us at the losing end of the bargain.

It’s time to reengineer the country’s rice policies to ensure food security and sustainability.

(Egay Uy is a lawyer and sits as the chairman of the Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairman of the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairman of the City Joint Inspection Team.)