Let’s Listen to Our Scientists
The government must not operate in an echo chamber of bureaucrats. There are experts like Dr. Mendoza who have spent decades studying the science and economics of rice. He, and others like him, should be actively consulted in crafting national strategy.
In fact, let’s mobilize all Filipino scientists who can contribute to solving the rice crisis — from soil experts to irrigation engineers, from crop breeders to GIS technologists. Speaking of which, why don’t we already have a national digital map of all irrigated lands?
Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology, we can map, monitor, and protect these vital areas from being lost to speculative real estate.
The Real Enemy: Policy Neglect and Cartels
The IRDF report is damning! Not only are farmers struggling with pests and floods, but many felt that they were abandoned by the National Food Authority, which reportedly refused to buy their produce as promised.
Worse, farmgate prices have plummeted to just P11 to P12 per kilo, while it costs at least P17 to P18 to produce. No wonder farmers are quitting, and the youth want nothing to do with agriculture.
Add to that the rice cartels, who hoard, manipulate prices, and entrap farmers in debt. This is not a free market. This is a captured market. And it’s bleeding both producers and consumers dry.
The 2019 Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) was supposed to make rice affordable. It did not. It instead devastated local production. It’s time to replace RTL with a new law — the Rice Industry Sustainable Development Act (RISDA) — focused on self-reliance, climate resilience, and equitable market reforms.
We also need a legally mandated support price — at least P25 per kilo of palay — so our farmers can survive, invest in their land, and inspire a new generation to plant rice, not abandon it. I
t’s Not Too Late, But It Soon Will Be
Food security is not a matter of policy convenience — it’s a national security issue. If we cannot feed ourselves, we become vulnerable to the whims of foreign suppliers, volatile markets, and geopolitical instability.
The Marcos administration must act boldly and swiftly. Declare irrigated rice lands as protected areas. Pass the National Land Use Act. Set a course for rice sufficiency and surplus. Consult scientists. Protect farmers. Break the monopolies.
We are not just losing rice — we are losing our sovereignty. But with the right vision and the right policies, we can still reclaim it./PN
