Santi losses up; rice import sought

THE P2.9-billion damage caused by Typhoon "Santi” to the country’s rice crops has made it even more imperative to increase the volume of rice being imported by the Philippines, an economist said Tuesday. As this developed, two more rice-producing provinces–President Aquino’s hometown of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija–were placed under a state of calamity. Roehlano Briones, a senior research fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said the Aquino administration should adopt a more open policy toward rice importation. "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 said Filipinos were always paying more for rice as a result of the current rate of domestic rice production. "Importing more rice will bring the price of the grain closer to world prices,” Briones said, adding he was opposed to the Department of Agriculture’s self-sufficiency policy.