Siniguro ng DA na sapat ang suplay ng bigas sa bansa sa kabila ng mga agam-agam na magkakaroon ng shortage at pagtaas ng presyo nito dulot ng banta ng El Niño.
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Base sa pag-aaral ng DA – National Rice Program (NRP), tinatayang nasa 5.66 milyong metric tons ang imbak na palay ngayong 1st quarter ng 2023 na inaasahang tatagal ng 51 araw.
“This consists of 1.77 million MT of beginning stock, 3.12 million MT of locally produced rice, and 774,050.44 MT of imported rice, which was based on the Bureau of Custom (BOC)’s import arrivals as of March 16 and the DA – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI)’s arrival report as of March 23,” ayon sa DA.
“A surge in the estimated rice supply is also expected upon incorporation of the harvests in March and April,” dagdag pa ng ahensya.
Sinabi naman ni DA Assistant Secretary at Deputy Spokesperson Rex C. Estoperez sa ulat ng ahensya na nasa 37,000 metric tons kada araw ang pangangailangan ng bansa sa suplay ng bigas.
Ayon pa sa DA, bahagya namang tumaas ang farmgate price ng mga sariwa at tuyong palay na dating nasa P17.29 at P19.23 kada kilo na naging P17.98 at P21.07 na kada kilo.
Nanatili naman sa P54 kada kilo ang presyo ng locally produced na bigas sa mga palengke sa Metro Manila.
“Well-milled and regular milled rice experienced a 3.65 and 2.77 percent price increase, while premium rice was sold for a lower price at P44.50 per kilogram,” dagdag pa ng DA.
“While the dry season provides better conditions for drying newly harvested palay, the DA said that a price increase might happen depending on any situational changes—for instance, the added value due to the high quality of dry palay,” ayon sa ulat ng ahensya.
Samantala, inilaan umano ng DA ang mga irrigation services kung saan target nito na 1.5 million hectares na may sapat na irigasyon sa tulong ng National Irrigation Administration (NIA) bilang paghahanda sa El Niño.
Bukod sa sistema sa irigasyon, maglalaan rin ang ahensya ng mga fertilizer sa mga kooperatiba at asosasyon ng mga magsasaka at handa umano nilang hadlangan ang mga smugglers at hoarders.
“The DA also reactivated its National El Niño Task Force and will enforce its enhanced El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation Plan, to include interventions such as cloud seeding over the watersheds of affected reservoirs, provision of production support for crops, livestock and fisheries sub-sectors from pre- to post-El Niño, conduct of information campaigns geared towards water conservation and active community participation, and reinforced coordination with the PAGASA, NIA, Office of Civil Defense, DA RFOs, and other concerned agencies,” anila.
