Damage caused by ‘Santi’ to rice supply should prompt importation, says economist

An economist from the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) yesterday said the Aquino administration should adopt a more open policy toward rice importation. According to PIDS senior research fellow Dr. Roehlano Briones, the P2.9-billion damage caused by typhoon "Santi” to rice production has made it even more imperative to increase the volume of imported rice. "Even without the devastation, we need a more open policy toward rice importation. The impact of typhoon Santi makes it even more necessary,” Briones said. Briones noted that at the present rate of domestic production, Filipinos end up paying more for rice. "Importing more rice will bring the price of the grain closer to world prices,” he said, adding he is opposed to current self-sufficiency policy of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Typhoon Santi damaged some 134,017 metric tons of rice areas in Regions I, III and IVB. Central Luzon, considered one of the country’s rice granaries, sustained the biggest loss at P2.283 billion. Rice industry observers said the country’s rice prices hit a five-year high last month and are expected to surge even higher after typhoon Santi ravaged most of Central Luzon’s harvestable ricelands, but the DA will take a full week just to "finalize” its recommendations on the country’s rice situation, laying credence to observations of the agency’s "inherently bureaucratic process in decision-making.”