Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap assured the people today that there would be no rice rationing as the National Food Authority (NFA) is bringing in enough supply that would be complemented by the summer
harvest season.

Yap, however, said that while rice is commercially available nationwide, its price is increasing due to the hike in the prices of fuel and fertilizers compounded by the effects of overpopulation and climate change on world rice production.

This was the gist of Yap report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Cabinet members, and representatives from the food sector during the meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Cabinet Group with the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) this morning in Malacañang.

Yap told the meeting that fuel prices have increased, the prices of fertilizers have gone up by 150 percent, and climate change affected world production with the winter blizzard in China last December, and the flooding and pest outbreaks in Vietnam.

He said this is the reason why the price of rice is rising even as the NFA is bringing in enough supply and the country harvest is increasing.

At present, Yap said that regular milled commercial rice has an average price of P27 per kilo which steadily moved up from last year average of P22 per kilo.

Yap told the President that the NFA rice buffer stock would be fortified by the incoming contracted volume of 1.1 million metric tons (MTs) from the US and Vietnam, and the estimated seven million MTs from the summer harvest season.

Madame President, I would like to inform you that last night the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has increased our credit commodity program to $75 million, Yap said.

From the US, we have 100,000 metric tons coming in. I am waiting for the final confirmation of the Vietnamese government on the one million metric tons that they have set aside for us.

Yap said the summer harvest would begin this April, May and June.

And our harvest is going to be seven million metric tons which will be higher than last year harvest of 6.7 million metric tons, Yap said.

To address the problem on food production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has encouraged the public to conserve rice, and the government, with its new found resources, is continuously supporting irrigation projects and the national seed program which were not carried out in the past.