Rice and Fall

Philippine Politics, Current Events |

By MAJOR TOM | April 3, 2008

The rice shortage that the country is experiencing at present makes us the world’s largest importer of rice --- at over 2 million metric tons each year. Now at least, we can say that we are keenest in the world at certain something aside from being the most corrupt.

After signing a deal with Vietnam, the government is still negotiating with Thailand for an additional horde in the coming days, proving altogether that indeed, the rice shortage we have right now is too real for comfort.

According to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, the present rice supply that the government has, through the National Food Authority, would last 57 days. I don’t know if that figure is healthy or not, 57 days is just days, what if in the 58th day there’d be no rice, then that’ll mean mayhem and turbulence in our streets of the meanest kind, much worse than in Indonesia or in Egypt where the military there had to stop militarizing and make bread just to put up with low bread supply and high bread demand among the Egyptians.

If on the 58th day, there’d be no enough rice within our reach, then I think the rice shortage would be far more malevolent cause for pulling down the government than the ZTE Controversy and Hello Garci hullabaloo combined, as people would surely packed the streets and demand an ouster, heads would roll for certain.

The government should do something drastically. I couldn’t believe that someone who look so smart or speak so eloquently such as Mr. Arthur Yap heads our Agriculture Department and yet the present rice shortage becomes like a menace that just came out of nowhere, like a miracle, or a flash of lightning and Mr. Yap says, “What was that?” He couldn’t be that naïve I am pretty sure.

Aside from all the patent reasons, like palay lands being converted to malls in tens or hundreds of hectares each year, the youth in the rural areas becoming nurses or call center agents rather than being rice farmers, low selling prices for the rice farmers, even the ever increasing scarcity of rainfall (due to climate change)---the government should look inwardly towards its own turf. The National Food Authority should reinvigorate itself and clean up some of its mess and help straighten out the kinks in the rice supply chain, to not allow cheap smuggled rice to flood the market, or otherwise local rice traders would have less notion to put up stores for the golden grains and close shop instead. And of course, hoarding among our suppliers is a perennial problem.

And perhaps, Mr. Yap should seek some sort of regulations or legislation curtailing or minimizing the conversion of huge palay lands into malls or factories. In other countries, they prohibit excessive construction of golf locations as it consumes water in a very gargantuan manner, harming the environment in the process. I am sure we could do that here concerning our rice farms becoming malls.

23 Comments »

1. barrycade says; April 3, 2008 @ 5:56 pm

   i'm not certain if i heard the news right the other night: Sec. Yap was suggesting to restaurants and fast food chains to offer half-cup of rice. the idea sounds good initially, but on second thought, it's quite imbecilic. now i don't wonder why we are in this mess.

2. Major Tom says; April 3, 2008 @ 9:58 pm

   To barrycade: I couldn't agree more on this bro. What's the chicken without rice. But hey, a better suggestion would have to offer mashed potato as viand substitute or even cassava. But still remains, we ain't got enough potatoes here or kamotes to feed the whole nation.

3. annamanila says; April 4, 2008 @ 5:28 pm

   We are also tops in being in an ironical situation. Top rice importer, the Philippines -- where the IRRI was based for years, where all the rice farming technicians trained; where the most best varieties of rice were bred. haha

4. bw says; April 4, 2008 @ 10:14 pm

   Calling for restaurants to serve less rice is to me the most harebrained, moronic, ding-a-ling suggestion I ever heard from a person of a cabinet minister stature

   Perhaps the minister will be pleased to know that I only eat rice in the evening, around maybe 3 to 4 tablespoons. Maybe I should move back to Pinas now

   We can blame our unrealistic dreams like everyone wants to get into showbiz, the lack of farmers to till the land blah, blah but the ultimate reason for this shortage happening is plain and simple mismanagement, the lack of proper agricultural programs - translated, a totally inefficient and inert agriculture ministry

5. Gypsy says; April 6, 2008 @ 6:13 am

   Agree ako with Anna--ironic and sad, sad sad. It seems like everything is going downhill in our country...starting with our politicians..sigh.

6. Major Tom says; April 6, 2008 @ 9:54 am

   To annamanila: Oh, that too. I should have mentioned that monumental irony here. Thanks to you, madame.

7. Major Tom says; April 6, 2008 @ 9:57 am

   To BW: That's what I was intending to say bro--mismanagement of the meanest kind. That's the bottomline. Our burueacrats seem to always lack foresight and innovation despite that they've been trained in this or that important school abroad. It's completely farcical.

8. Major Tom says; April 6, 2008 @ 9:58 am

   To Gypsy: Just when we thought we start to learn from our past mistake, our politicians and bureaucrats remain the same backward selves.

9. eric aka senor enrique says; April 6, 2008 @ 6:43 pm

   I just find this entire rice shortage story too fantastic to be truly believed.

10. spliceanddice says; April 6, 2008 @ 10:50 pm

    Ah, but you know the ploy of this Gloriafied and Garcified regime. Connive and deny. Deny that there's a rice shortage when anorexic servings of palay stare us right smack in the face. Connive with your alter egos in the departments and strive to do an ad misericordiam so as to cleave the truth into pieces and leave the nation stirred into confusion. Confused to the point that the nation won't have much time and muscle to collect and compose themselves altogether.

    Survival, indeed, has been the name of the game for the luckiest bitch around.

11. snglguy says; April 6, 2008 @ 11:05 pm

    In their haste to pursue industrialization to compete in a free trade environment, our leaders seem to have forgotten, or have missed the fact that this country also needed to be self-sufficient in food production to feed its people. It's further proof of our dear politicians' lack of foresight...

12. Sidney says; April 7, 2008 @ 8:36 am

    Mismanagement...farmers could do 3 harvest a year, most do only 2 harvest a year... old techniques, no or slow mechanization...
    Why can Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan produce enough rice for their population and produce more than it needs (for export)?
    Travel in the provinces and you will understand what is happening... (((

13. Major Tom says; April 7, 2008 @ 10:34 am

    To eric: In fact I could mostly sense entirely artificial (albeit unintentionally) causes for these crisis---a sabotage mostly.

14. Major Tom says; April 7, 2008 @ 10:36 am

    To spliceanddice: That would be a horrendous thought, the prople we should trust our nation with connives with the enemies of the state.

15. Major Tom says; April 7, 2008 @ 10:40 am

    To sngl: In my mind, the main thrust of industrialization should be hefge with our need for food sufficiency, albeit that in this stage of global trade, it would be hardpress for us not to compete and modernize. I think the governbment just forgot about it, our agricultural sector that now they are shockingly reminded that in fact, we need to till our lands still in order for us to feed the nation. Thailand has industrialized so well but still they could even export rice---there's no excuse for our government's inutility.

16. Major Tom says; April 7, 2008 @ 10:42 am

    To Sidney: Now it reminds me grossly of how dumb our government could be where people up there even wants to spend garguantous amount of money on something gross like the ZTE while we couldn't even allow our farmers to buy tractors and other modern farming equipments. it's so insane I say.

17. spliceanddice says; April 7, 2008 @ 5:06 pm

    offtopic: I've already added you to my blogroll Major Tom. Please do add me up here, too. Thanks!

18. Toe says; April 7, 2008 @ 7:48 pm

    Pati nga yata dito, magi-import tayo.

19. Major Tom says; April 7, 2008 @ 8:38 pm

    To Spliceanddice: Thanks very much. In fact I had already linked you up hours ago. Kudos and more power.

20. Major Tom says; April 7, 2008 @ 8:41 pm

    To Toe: Yata...the last time I heard was that we bought hoards of rice from Thailand and Vietnam; maybe Cambodia is one good source when the supply becomes low again.

21. As people begin to age the gods employ corrupting tactics. They ultimately begin to look down on the children and the wisdom they recently understood::: says; April 10, 2008 @ 8:10 am

    As people begin to age the gods employ corrupting tactics. They ultimately begin to look down on the children and the wisdom they recently understood:::
    They voluntarily turn their back on their opportunity to ascend and instead embrace evil.
    It's not old people who go to heaven. Old people must come back because of the mistakes they've made throughout their lives. Children are the ones who have the opportunity to ascend.

    Children are discounted by adults in society. The gods corrupt people as they age, use trust-building tactics and soon adults view the children as ignorant, yet to understand the god's system, and subsequently look down on the children. This is one of the most bitter, painful ironies the gods employ, for people consciously turn their back on and lose their opportunity to ascend::::
    Religions teach that old people to go to heaven when they die. They don't. Old people are reincarnated. It's the children who go to heaven.
    The wisdom the gods impart to children, either through their innocence/purity or religious-based educational pursuits are the gods sharing the truth with their most favored people::::It's the children whom the gods teach the right way for it is the children who have a chance. For example, they teach children to have faith, for understanding the god's geographical clues hurts people by illustrating negative things, opening the door for the god's to employ deceptive tactics.
    Old people don't go to heaven. Old people must come back because of the mistakes they've made throughout their lives. It's the children who have the opportunity to go to "heaven". They must behave apprioriately, think correctly and be genuinely god-fearing. Their innocence and lack of desensitization ensures they have a real opportunity to achieve this goal.

    This is charecteristic of the gods methodology::::The big prize gone early, compelling people to chase something that already has been decided. They sent this clue with boss as well. It is also a clue supporting my claim RW&B's german is in fact Christianity's Anti-Christ. Logic also dictates, considering the definition.
    The confusion over this multi-dimentional positioning will serve as an effective tactic, eliminating many additional disfavored in the process.

22. Toe says; April 10, 2008 @ 2:04 pm

    Hun Sen banned the export of rice for a few months because of the rising demand and Vietnam's cut in their exports. But after that, I think that we are indeed going to import from here.

23. Major Tom says; April 11, 2008 @ 7:19 am

    To Toe: Cambodia is a good source of rice. i've seen in picture how verdant are the rice farms there.

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