Philippines may reduce rice imports by half in 2011

The Philippine government is planning to reduce its rice imports next year, possibly by as much as half of what it imported in 2010, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said Thursday.

"We will check (if we can halve importation). We're now discussing rice production and importation. (The imports) will surely be less than what we have imported this year. The department will have more solid figures next week," Alcala told reporters in an interview.

For 2010, the Philippines contracted to import 2.47 million metric tons of rice mostly from Vietnam to plug the production shortfall caused by typhoons Ketsana and Parma.

Rice imports could also be lower by next year as initial estimates showed annual per capita consumption of rice by Filipinos went down to 119 kilograms, from 128 kilograms. Alcala said he will still in verify the figures.

The Philippines is the world's largest rice importer and agriculture officials have been aiming to achieve self sufficiency. Alcala, who took the helm of the agriculture department last month, vowed the Philippines will be self sufficient in rice by 2013.

He said the government will do this by expanding upland areas planted to rice, encouraging the use of certified seeds, and investing in irrigation and postharvest facilities.

The Philippines is only at an 81-percent "self sufficiency" level as of 2009. For 2010, the government is targeting to grow paddy rice production by more than 17 million tons but this would only represent a sufficiency level of 87 percent.
(Source:chinadaily)