PHILIPPINE RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Rice self-sufficiency eyed in 2013

In consultation with some governors, officials of various agencies, and organizations

involved in rice production and marketing, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine
Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has crafted a rice program master plan titled
Philippine Rice Masterplan: Enhancing Provincial Rice Self-sufficiency, which aims to
achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2013.

DA Chief Atty. Arthur C. Yap said that self-sufficiency in rice can be attained if
farmers can produce 21.5 million metric tons for the projected 99.38 million Filipinos
by 2013.

“Originally set in 2010, the rice sufficiency program was revised and extended in 2013
to include strategic activities in addressing the emerging input crisis, which is critical in
achieving increased rice production,” said PhilRice Executive Director Ronilo A.
Beronio.

Specifically, the plan will address climatic differences (wet and dry), and biological
(poor or low quality seeds, weeds, and pests), physical (soil nutrients and water
availability), and socioeconomic production constraints.

Interventions

The current national average yield (3.8 tons/ha) is way below the potential yield in on-
farm experiments (7 to 9 tons/ha). To close the yield gap and eventually attain 100%
self-sufficiency, more focused interventions are needed.

The focused interventions include integrated crop management, high quality rice seeds,
research and development, capacity enhancement, irrigation system rehabilitation,
postharvest and mechanization assistance, farm-to-market roads, marketing assistance,
program monitoring and evaluation, incentive system, policy analysis and advocacy
regulatory services, and database management.

* This is an official press release of PhilRice about the Rice Self-Sufficiency Program. Please use and
reproduce the contents of this press release with proper acknowledgment.

Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, PHILIPPINES

Trunklines: 63 (44) 456-0277; -0285; -0258; -0433; 0426
Certified to ISO 9001:2000; Tel/Fax: 63 (44) 456-0441; -0653; -0651 loc 512; -0394 loc 218; -0649 loc 261
ISO 14001:2004; OHSAS 18001:1999 Email: prri@philrice.gov.ph z Website: www.philrice.gov.ph
Clustering approach

As the main strategy in implementing the program, the clustering approach will be
employed to organize individual farmers into groups for manageability and efficiency
in delivering technical assistance and services.

The local government units, farmers’ organizations, and non-government units will
form clusters in areas where no cluster exists. Irrigators’ associations, agrarian reform
communities, and farmer-cooperatives within a 1-km radius of the “puroks” or farms of
a community can serve as nuclei of the clusters.

Governors as champs
The governors are named “rice champions” in their respective provinces as they take
the ‘center stage’ in ensuring that their respective municipalities and cities produce
enough rice for their constituents throughout the year.

They will implement the clustering approach, and more important, they will spearhead
the development and implementation of their own rice self-sufficiency plans.

The program will cover 80 provinces of the country. Location-specific interventions

will be employed in each province. Hence, the type and intensity of interventions will
vary for each province.

Consumers’ Role

By not wasting rice, consumers can contribute to rice self-sufficiency. It is estimated

that every Filipino in a household contributes a spoonful of cooked rice to the food
misuse. This translates to 25,000 bags of rice wasted daily or about P11B worth of rice.

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* This is an official press release of PhilRice about the Rice Self-Sufficiency Program. Please use and
reproduce the contents of this press release with proper acknowledgment.