THE end-of-year rice inventory has been projected at about 3.326 million MT based on supply estimates of 17.994 million MT, sufficient to cover demand of 14.668 million MT, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said: “Going into the lean months and onto Dec. 31, we have enough supply of food, and that includes our major staple – rice.”
The government has announced plans to import 300,000 metric tons (MT) of rice as a contingency measure via government to government (G2G) transactions.
Mr. Dar said the rice buffer stock is sufficient for 94 days.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 88% of rice demand is accounted for by human consumption while the remainder goes to seed, feed, and industrial use.
The PSA added the per-capita rice consumption average is 118.81 kilograms annually, equivalent to daily consumption of 325.5 grams.
“We assure the nation that the DA is doing its best to secure affordable food for all. Our programs to make this happen are already in place to help our farmers and fisherfolk,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
