MAAARING tumaas ang rice output ng bansa ngayong taon ng 1.6 percent sa record-high na halos 13 million metric tons (MMT) sa likod ng magandang lagay ng panahon at mataas na farm-gate prices, ayon sa Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Sa kanilang biannual food outlook report, sinabi ng FAO na ang kabuuang Philippine milled rice production sa 2018 ay tinatayang aabot sa 12.9 MMT, mas mataas ng 200,000 MT sa 12.7 MMT na naitalang output noong nakaraang taon.
“Asia is expected to drive the global production expansion of 2018, harvesting a record 461.9 million tonnes, up 1.2 percent from 2017,” pahayag ng FAO sa report nito na nalathala kamakailan.
“Current prospects also point to Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Thailand producing more in 2018, but the outlook is less buoyant elsewhere in Asia,” dagdag pa nito.
Sa kabila ng record-high harvest, ang rice imports ng bansa ngayong taon ay tataas ng kalahati sa 1.5 MMT, mula sa 1 MMT noong nakaraang taon sa harap ng pagnanais ng pamahalaan na madagdagan ang paubos na stock ng National Food Authority (NFA) at mapanatiling abot-kaya ang retail prices ng butil.
“Asian import demand looks set to remain strong in 2018, amid efforts by countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines to shore up reserves and contain increases in local prices,” sabi ng FAO.
“The hike in the country’s rice imports along with additional volumes purchased by Bangladesh and Indonesia abroad would sustain the upward trend of the staple’s global prices amid currency depreciation in various exporting countries.” JASPER ARCALAS
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