THE Department of Agriculture (DA) would need a budget support of about P20 billion to enable the Philippines to achieve “98 percent self-sufficiency” in rice production by 2010.

Frisco Malabanan, director of the DA’s Ginintuang Masagang Ani (GMA) program, said in his presentation to the University of Asia and the Pacific that a huge chunk of the P20 billion would be used for constructing and rehabilitating irrigation facilities all over the country.

For 2008, the DA estimates that it would need about P6.69 billion, of which P4 billion would be used for the construction and repair of irrigation facilities that will revive rice production in 66,667 hectares of rice farmland in the country.

The rest of the funds would be used for subsidizing hybrid rice seeds and certified seeds, as well as the provision of additional quality genetic materials.

If these are provided, the DA expects palay production to go up by 5.74 percent to 17.16 million metric tons (MMT). In milled terms, this translates to 11.15 MMT of rice or close to 1 MMT below the projected 12.01 MMT rice requirement of the country for next year.

For 2009, the DA estimates it would need about P6.93 billion, of which P4 billion would again be used to construct and repair irrigation facilities that would revive rice production in 66,667 hectares of rice farmland in the country.

The rest of the amount—P3.93 billion—would be used for subsidizing hybrid rice seeds and certified seeds as well as the provision of additional quality rice genetic materials.

By 2009, if all these budget requirements are put in place, the DA expects palay production to grow by 6.11 percent to 18.2 MMT. At a milling recovery rate of 65 percent, this translates to 11.83 MMT of rice.

The expected rice production in 2009 would place the rice self-sufficiency level of the country at 96.3 percent.

In 2010, the DA said it would need a smaller budget for its rice program at P6.48 billion with the expected phaseout of its subsidy for hybrid rice seeds.

Close to half of its required budget, or P3.5 billion, would be used to repair and construct irrigation facilities to spur rice production in 58,333 hectares of rice farmland all over the country.

If the budget support is given, the DA expects palay production to grow by 19.05 MMT. This translates to 12.39 MMT of rice.

The DA said the projected production in 2010 would place the country’s rice self-sufficiency level at 98.65 percent.

The gap between production and the requirement of the population will go down to only 168,899 MT of rice.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap earlier emphasized the need for more funds for the country’s rice sector to enable his department to put in place measures that would significantly reduce the country’s reliance on rice imports.

MEMBER countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) are planning to integrate the existing 24 free-trade agreements, including five more trade deals under negotiation by the 21 economies, into a single trade pact for the nations in the Pacific Rim.

LOOKING at ensuring energy security in the Luzon grid by 2010 and 2011, Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) has expressed willingness to possibly work with TeaM Energy Corp. in expanding the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas-fired power plant in Batangas.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) would need a budget support of about P20 billion to enable the Philippines to achieve “98 percent self-sufficiency” in rice production by 2010.

SL AGRITECH Corp. (SLAC), one of the country’s three producers of hybrid rice seeds, is reviving its plan of developing a hybrid rice variant that is resistant to the dreaded pest called bacterial leaf blight (BLB) that can reduce yields.

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has earmarked $50 million to $100 million in assistance to the National Electrification Administration (NEA) that will be used to improve the financial and technical capabilities of the country’s 118 electric cooperatives.