Sufficient rice, meat supply assured says Agri Dept.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has assured the public that the country remains capable of producing enough rice and meat, especially with the coming holiday demands.

It said the supply outlook provided by the National Rice Program reported an increase in local palay production. A big chunk of the supply comes from the locally produced rice, and production of farmers will be enough to meet the demand towards the end of the year.

Retail prices, however, might be affected by the on-going drought in China due to its implications in the cost of palay production, as well as the presence of rice varieties from other countries.

Despite this, the DA said local production is enough.

Meanwhile, the DA livestock group—composed of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the National Meat Inspection Service, the National Dairy Authority, the Philippine Carabao Center, and the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry—confirmed the country’s meat-sufficiency, especially in terms of local chickens and pigs.

According to the DA’s Philippine Food Supply, Demand, and Sufficiency Outlook for 2022, the total broiler supply for the year is 1.82 million metric tons (MT)—1.65 million MT of which are locally produced.

With the demand for broilers expected at around 1.64 million MT this year, consumers are assured that there will be a generous supply to last up to early 2023.

The pork supply outlook, on the other hand, presented a 1.79 million MT demand for the year—about 0.10 million MT higher than the country’s total supply.However, local pork production was estimated to be at 1.34 million MT, comprising the majority of the total pork supply. Only 0.29 million MT of pork were imported in 2022.

The DA said efforts are being made in order to address issues on oversupply and insufficiency in certain agricultural commodities nationwide.

The National Food Authority is also expected to ensure sufficient rice supply by maintaining a rice buffer stock, which it can distribute either by sale or by donation to government agencies, local government units, and private institutions involved in relief operations during times of calamities. (Krystelle Ymari Vergara)