RICE
Given the"controversy" in rice that is apparently enveloping our controversy-hungry nation, I feel there's a need for me, an employee of the agency at the center of all these (the NFA), to at least try and help others "sort-out'' the issues for better appreciation. I am not doing this to make any excuses or lay blame to anyone or that sort of thing. But if I come through like I'm trying to justify things, then that's the readers' call.
The issue of rice is indeed a complicated one and not so easy to explain but for the sake of brevity, I'll use "bullet-points" approach to clarify certain things which I think are not clear to most and somehow become or are used as basis for baseless conclusions or misunderstanding of the rice issue.
- Issue: Thailand sent their students to study agriculture and learn rice production technology here in the Philippines in the 60s and 70s, and just learned from us, so to speak, so how come they are producing more rice than we are?
CLARIFICATION:
a) Thailand agriculture students came here mainly because of the IRRI or the International Rice Reseach Institute which is based in UP Los Baños and the state-of-the-art research facilities which was second to none at that time. By the way, other students came from other Asian countries, too, like Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.
b) Thailand has nine times larger riceland area compared to ours, which is fed by a nutrient rich delta river, a stable and sufficient source of water - a main factor in rice production. So even if they produce less volume per hectare compared to us, they still produce more in terms of total production.
c) Thailand has a large contiguous plain for rice cultivation ideal for easy water management (irrigation), and synchronized production schedules unlike the Philippines which is an archipelago with rice lands scattered in many islands, separated by sea, making uniform or standard cultivation and easy and fast transport of produce to the market, difficult if not impossible to achieve.
d) Thailand is not as prone to weather/climate disturbance as is the Philippines. The Philippines is visited by typhoons on an average of 25 per year causing crop failures specially during the main or wet-season (Oct-Dec planting season). In addition, the Philippines is geographically located along the path of the periodic weather phenomenon called La Niña and El Niño coming from the Pacific through the Philippines Sea which in turn cause extreme episodes of rain and dry-spell.
CONCLUSION: Thailand is producing more simply because they have a significantly large riceland, and not because they are better rice cultivators/producers than us.
NEXT: The Population Factor
The issue of rice is indeed a complicated one and not so easy to explain but for the sake of brevity, I'll use "bullet-points" approach to clarify certain things which I think are not clear to most and somehow become or are used as basis for baseless conclusions or misunderstanding of the rice issue.
- Issue: Thailand sent their students to study agriculture and learn rice production technology here in the Philippines in the 60s and 70s, and just learned from us, so to speak, so how come they are producing more rice than we are?
CLARIFICATION:
a) Thailand agriculture students came here mainly because of the IRRI or the International Rice Reseach Institute which is based in UP Los Baños and the state-of-the-art research facilities which was second to none at that time. By the way, other students came from other Asian countries, too, like Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.
b) Thailand has nine times larger riceland area compared to ours, which is fed by a nutrient rich delta river, a stable and sufficient source of water - a main factor in rice production. So even if they produce less volume per hectare compared to us, they still produce more in terms of total production.
c) Thailand has a large contiguous plain for rice cultivation ideal for easy water management (irrigation), and synchronized production schedules unlike the Philippines which is an archipelago with rice lands scattered in many islands, separated by sea, making uniform or standard cultivation and easy and fast transport of produce to the market, difficult if not impossible to achieve.
d) Thailand is not as prone to weather/climate disturbance as is the Philippines. The Philippines is visited by typhoons on an average of 25 per year causing crop failures specially during the main or wet-season (Oct-Dec planting season). In addition, the Philippines is geographically located along the path of the periodic weather phenomenon called La Niña and El Niño coming from the Pacific through the Philippines Sea which in turn cause extreme episodes of rain and dry-spell.
CONCLUSION: Thailand is producing more simply because they have a significantly large riceland, and not because they are better rice cultivators/producers than us.
NEXT: The Population Factor
Well said, Chito. I think people need to look at things from a more objective perspective, meaning we need solid info like what you've just given. Write on!
ReplyDeleteHi Chito! Hope you and family had a good Easter.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about the current rice controversy in the Philippines. However, one thing I do know - the Philippines imports rice from Thailand. If your conclusion is valid, how come in the past Thailand was importing rice from the Philippines? Geography and weather conditions haven't changed and yet the reverse is happening - Thailand is now exporting rice to the Philippines. It's so coincidental that this started a few years after the initial batch of IRRI students have returned to their homelands to put into practice what they've learned.
Thanks Zeny. But I'm not so sure if I'll be seen as objective. Or if I am in fact being so. Afterall, emplyeado ako ng NFA. But I try to dish out what I can as I see it. As I said I don't mean to make any excuses or lay blame on anyone. Surely, my views here are not adequate enough (complete with data and statistical analysis) to come up with a scholarly dissertation on the matter. Many of my own views in fact are based on anecdotal information. But my 30 or so years in this office may be a good enough basis for some of my assertions. If I have the time, I'll try as much as I can to provide data from other institutions para hindi naman mukhang biased an mga sinasabi ko dito.
ReplyDeleteHi BNK. Yes, we had a good Pasko ng Pagkabuhay and a restful Holy Week all in all. Dito lang kami sa bahay. Mas tahimik sa Maynila kasi halos lahat ng tao nasa probinsya or sa mga resorts, e.g Boracay, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks also for your interest on the issue of rice. Let me just say this for now: between the issue of sending of Thai students to the Philippines to study agriculture, and that of the historical import/export records of our country versus theirs, is still a wide expanse of socio-political jungle which I hope to navigate soon. I hope I can successfully sustain your interest through it.
You certainly can, absolutely. Basta about the Philippines, I'm all ears.
ReplyDeletemore more!!
ReplyDeletesometimes, facts are twisted and some points are being sensationalized...just like the recent news about price of rice in the world market, hoarding and what we see in the market...
information dissemination like this is beneficial to us who are not in the know...and of course, we will all turn to you, since you are in the the agency concerned...
you guys in the agency, must be terribly busy handling the news these days...
In the 60s, the Philippines was performing better economically than most Asian countries, including Japan. This was the legacy of an American-system of governance which included among others, a comparatively well developed railroad and road and transport network. (Philippine Airlines was the first ever airline company in Southeast Asia). Thailand, and other Asian countries, including Vietnam, in those days, were very much underdeveloped in terms of transport infrastructure. So while they too were blessed with fertile rice lands, they had difficulty bringing their produce to the market or to the urban population. Also, they had poor irrigation infrastructure. In the 70s up to the 80s, the government of Thailand, though saddled by internal political strife which included several military take-overs, focused their development efforts on infrastructure. This made the great difference between what we are now and how the current Thai economy is now.
ReplyDeleteHi MeAnne. Yes, indeed, we are quite busy, not only in handling the news but also trying to resolve some of the issues, especially on supply. It is sad though that while the government is trying it's best to address the problem, it's "partner," the rice private commercial sector (some, not all, but many) are also busy taking advantage of the situation by jacking up their prices and withholding stocks (hoarding). This is not fair, to say the least, because they were able to buy their stocks (rough rice or palay) at yet low prices, i.e. before this news about low supply came. Kung baga sa mga oil companies, meron pa silang mga stock na nabili o na-import sa mababa pang halaga kaya walang dahilan na taasan nila ang selling prices agad.
ReplyDeleteyan na nga....nakaka inis ang mga oportunista! imbes na mag tulungan...pinahihirapan pa ang mga kababayan, in the name of profits! kelangan talaga pulisan (stake out) ang mga yan! makonsensya sana....kaso ala na silang konsensya...the poor juan dela cruz is really crying already....
ReplyDeleteThat's just one of the factors. There are many more, and I'm sure you know what those are.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you there BNK. I just highlighted one of the more obvious factors.
ReplyDeletechito,
ReplyDeletekilala mo pala si BNK of Vancouver?
Hello there, plazarudy. I have a feeling I know you (your Surrey address seems to be familiar). Yes, nakilala ko si BNK through this medium. He is one of the contacts of one of my contacts, and we've been interacting like we've known each other for a long time. We haven't met yet personally though. And I'm looking forward to seeing him if and when he visits the Philippines. By the way, how do you know BNK?
ReplyDelete