PIDS: Govt should hike volume of rice imports in wake of ‘Santi’

AN economist from the government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has encouraged the Aquino administration to adopt a more open policy toward rice importation. PIDS senior research fellow Roehlano Briones said 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. He 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 that he is opposed to current self-sufficiency policy of the Department of Agriculture. Typhoon Santi damaged rice areas in Regions 1, 3 and 4A.Central Luzon, considered one of the country’s rice granaries, sustained the biggest loss at P2.283 billion.