THE rice supply was deemed sufficient for the rest of the year despite the return of Metro Manila and nearby provinces to a stricter form of lockdown, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said that as of August, the rice inventory was good for about 53 days’ consumption, with more on the way from the late-September harvest.
Mr. Dar discounted potential disruptive factors like the Chinese floods, which could put pressure on international supply.
“Our second quarter palay production of 4.125 million metric tons (MT) is a testament that reforms being instituted under the Rice Tariffication Law are starting to bear fruit,” Mr. Dar said.
“Barring adverse typhoons and natural disasters in the remaining months of the year, we expect a record palay output this year of 20.34 million MT, which is 8% higher than the 2019 production,” he added.
Mr. Dar said that the DA evaluated various supply scenarios to arrive at its estimate for the rice inventory at year’s end.
“All scenarios show comfortable levels of rice supply by the end of the year, which at best would be good for 98 days, and at worst, 90 days,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
