STRAIGHT FROM THE BIG CITY

The economics of rice production
IKE ‘KA IKING’ SEÑERES

MANILA -- It is still uncertain whether there is really a rice crisis or not, but what is certain is that rice is not the only staple food that our people could eat. Whether or not there is an officially admitted rice crisis, I am sure that there would be no food crisis, if only we could produce the other staples, to add to our present rice production.

The opposition on one hand says that the government is hiding the truth about the crisis, asserting that it is real. The administration on the other hand says that there is no crisis, citing as a defense its claim that it has two months of inventory in stock. I say that this is a rather shallow understanding of food security, because in order to be fully secure, we should have at least one year in inventory.

As a state policy, Israel bans the planting of rice, saying that it is not an efficient crop, because they could import the grains cheaper instead of planting it. The policy may be practical for Israel because rice is not a staple food there. Here in the Philippines , the issue appears to be moot and academic, because we are importing the grains even if we have the potential of growing it efficiently.

Korina Sanchez of DZMM says that the government made the mistake of promoting hybrid rice, because this variety requires the use of imported chemical fertilizers. I say that she has hit the nail on the head, because it is primarily the cost of chemical fertilizers, imported or not, that causes the inefficient production of rice.

It has already been proven that rice could be efficiently produced using organic fertilizers. In many cases, organic rice production has even surpassed records earlier made by chemical rice production. Given this reality, the government should now officially admit that organic fertilizers are better for the country, at the same time officially admitting that two months inventory already translates into a crisis.

What we need in this country is a sustainable mix of staple foods that could still be dominated by rice, but should be complemented by root crops that could be produced more efficiently, among which are potatoes, cassava, yam and even the native sweet potatoes (camote).

There are other grains that could be added to this sustainable mix, all of which could also be produced efficiently, among which are sweet corn, sorghum and even the native green gram mongo bean (balatong).