The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected the Philippines to remain as the top global rice importer this year.

"The Philippines is projected to remain the number one global rice importer, taking a record 3.8 million tons, in 2024, followed by China, Indonesia, the European Union, Nigeria, and Iraq", the USDA Economic Research Services rice outlook on January 17 stated.

It said rice imports are projected to increase in the Philippine with 21 other countries. These were Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia, Iran, South Korea, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Yemen in 2024.

In a radio interview, Rosendo So, chairman and president, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, agrees with the report of the USDA Economic Research Services that Philippines will remain as the top global rice importer.

"For the past three years during the term of President (Rodrigo) Duterte, the direction of his economic team is to import, than to produce here in the country. So if you can see, 2021, 2022, (the rice importation) reached 3.8 (million) on 2022, ten almost 3.9 on 2021," he said.

So said unlike the previous administration the direction of the present leadership is to improve the local production in the country.

"The direction of our president now is (to have) more local production. That is why if as we can see our importation in previous year has reduced. Our farmers who previously stop rice farming has already returned," he said.

So noted that the projected importation of 3.8 million tons is too much from what the country needs despite the threat of El Nino this year.

"From what we see the 3.2 to 3.3 million metric tons is already enough, in spite of El Nino because we see the standing crop is still good," he said.

However, So stressed the need to conduct a re-assessment next month to determine possible changes in the status of local produce in the country.

"We have to re-assess the farm water supply by February. So we will know what will be our approximate harvest this March. So the survey on February is very critical," he said. Robina Asido/DMS