THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) regional office in Davao is pinning its hopes on Administrative Order (AO) 225 to enable the region to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the near term.

Neda 11 Regional Development Nicasio Angelo Agustin said AO 225, which directs certain government-owned and –controlled corporations and government financial institutions to allocate 5 percent of their 2007 surplus for projects in rice, low-cost consumer and medicine outlets, health insurance and microfinance. 

“The issuance of Administrative Order 225 will further boost Davao Region’s efforts to address the rice problem that is also felt all over the country and cushion its adverse impact on the poor,” the Neda 11 said in a statement.

“With the utilization of idle lands for rice and other food production and the extension of credit to farmers, he expects the region’s rice production to further increase and ease the sharp increase of rice prices that have nearly breached P50 last week,” the agency added.

Agustin said the 5-percent allocation will also be contributed to an Agricultural Guarantee Fund Pool that will be used to mitigate the risks involved in agriculture lending to facilitate the provision of credit in the agriculture sector.

Agustin said these projects, which are expected to start not later than July this year, are seen to boost the region’s rice production which now only accounts for 50 percent of its total rice needs.

“(The) Davao Region is not self-sufficient in rice, producing roughly 50 percent of the rice requirement of its population that has reached 4.2 million people last year,” the Neda 11 said.

Under AO 225, the Agricultural Guarantee Fund Pool will be placed in trust with the Land Bank of the Philippines to provide a guarantee cover to those participating in extending financing to rice farmers under a common rice program and various food-production programs.

The Neda 11 said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will also draw up the mechanics and administrative arrangements and issue the implementing guidelines for the fund pool.

The agency said the DA will also formulate a plan to utilize around 1 million hectares of idle lands all over the country for rice and other food production. The National Anti-Poverty Commission, meanwhile, is tasked to validate if the poor benefit from these projects.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) projects that palay harvest for January to June may exceed 7.1 million metric tons (MMT).

THE government continues to fill its rice warehouses in Central Luzon with imported stocks while keeping aside the 25,535 bags of unmilled grains earlier procured to offset the impact of the lean season, which came much earlier than usual.

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) regional office in Davao is pinning its hopes on Administrative Order (AO) 225 to enable the region to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the near term.

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