Faced with the worsening rice crisis, this panicky government is aiming to copy the rice production technology of neighboring countries like China and Indonesia. Noting that these countries are among the top rice producers besides its being a top rice consumer, the Philippine government is reportedly eyeing to replicate its hybrid rice farming to boost our domestic rice production. Funny action if we consider that our country is the host of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) which is based in the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus, in Los Baños, Laguna. It is where rice technology is studied, researched and developed for other countries to apply in its rice production program. Among various countries in the world, we are supposed to be the topnotch rice farmers if only for being home of rice technology.
There is that lurking painful joke about our being a top rice importer than producer in this part of Asia and the world. It has to do with the oft repeated tale about a puzzled Filipino asking a Chinese in deep bewilderment why their country is producing much rice that they can afford to export the staple to the Philippines. The quick answer of the Chinese is that their government is now a rice producing country because they sent scholars to UP Los Baños. This tale may sound a pragmatic albeit painful joke but it speaks very rightly about our true condition. True enough, we are home to rice technology that other countries send their scholars to in order that they may get a bit of that technology.
This brings us to the root cause of our being anemic in terms of rice production. Our country is not lacking in the best manpower in the field of rice farming. We certainly have the best agricultural engineers, agriculturists, farm technicians and rice and agricultural scientists so potent to improve our country’s rice production. These agriculture and farming professionals are the best and the brightest that our government agriculture universities and colleges had produced. They are the finest in the field of rice farming that government can tap in its efforts to improve the rice production from its current levels.
Having the best and brightest manpower that are knowledgeable and skilled in rice farming, there is great reason for our country to be the top rice producer instead of top rice importer. Unfortunately, even if our country improves its rice production, prices remain high as capitalist rice traders are keeping the stocks, thereby controlling rice prices in the market. It appears that the root cause of the suffering rice consumers are the rice keepers.
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