Rice imports seen dropping below 1M tons

The country will import less than 1 million tons of tons this year because of an expected bumper harvest, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said yesterday.

The country used to import 10 percent of its annual rice needs and was the world’s top rice importer.

The Philippines ordered 2.4 million tons of rice in 2009 but most of it was delivered in 2010, according to the National Food Authority.

"The condition of the palay is outstanding and I have personally seen these fields all over the country," Alcala said during the Yearend Economic Briefing.

Alcala said import orders will be placed as early as the first quarter, with shipments arriving in June right after the dry season harvest.

"There’s a proposed figure of 1.3 million metric tons by the technical working group of the department, but that‘s just for worst-case scenarios. We don’t really need more than a million," said Alcala.

"It is quite dangerous if we run for imports right away. There’s no rush, for this might affect and destroy the prices of the rice that our farmers make right after harvesting this summer," he said.

Alcala said importation by the previous administration was excessive.

(Source: http://www.malaya.com.ph/feb10/busi7.html)