tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16958083.post3904078931541118140..comments2023-10-16T19:20:24.549+08:00Comments on Out of my mind: Averting the impending rice shortageBong C. Austerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798514780319855742noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16958083.post-30343153863404689822008-04-06T17:30:00.000+08:002008-04-06T17:30:00.000+08:00Hi Sir BongMy heart bleeds just last week. I went...Hi Sir Bong<BR/>My heart bleeds just last week. I went to Tacloban City and at Sagkahan market I saw men, women & even children in line. I thought there was a concert or a show at 3:00pm in the market area so I asked what was the long line & wait for -- under the scourging heat of the sun? The man told me they waited for their turn of NFA rice sold on ration. One kilogram for every household. WHAT????!!!! Guilt was all over me---(as you progress reading my comment then you will know why the GUILT). Yes, I know of the rice shortage & crisis as seen on tv, heard on radio & read in the newspaper but I wasn't really affected by it until I saw what was really happening. <BR/>Admittingly, the family business is RICE. Financing farmers, rice mill and trading. I love it everyday when the price of the HUMAY (palay) went up twice a day -- it would mean more profit for the farmers and the traders. I love it more when the rice be bought at 1250 pesos per sack (49kgs) and be shipped to Cebu at 1450 and even 1600 per bag. What a profit! And yes, shame on me I realized I am one of those greedy ones who take advantage of the situation. The selfsih one who doesn't think of the many in need but only to gain & profit the most. Yes, that sight in Sagkahan market opened my eyes that crisis is really happening & that I should do what is fair and not be greedy.<BR/>Hope to meet you Sir Bong in one of your trips or vacation in Leyte. I do business in Abuyog & other parts of Leyte.<BR/>God bless!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16958083.post-35244656145969330592008-03-30T14:17:00.000+08:002008-03-30T14:17:00.000+08:00Hi Bong!I couldn't resist making a response to thi...Hi Bong!<BR/>I couldn't resist making a response to this blog of yours because it is also so close to home. My husband and myself are researchers from UP Los Banos, the premier agriculture university in the country and next door neighbor to IRRI. Incidentally, the hubby is on leave from UPLB and is doing consultancy work for one of the programs of IRRI, while I am doing my dissertation thru an affiliate scholarship with IRRI. We are that close to the scene. To be fair to IRRI and our government's PhilRice they have been doing world class research to come up with technologies to answer ever emerging production problems. Let me also say that IRRI is hugely mandated to do it for all rice producing countries in the world, while our PhilRice is focused on the country. Scientists from both institutions, the best in the world, are as frustrated as we are of the crisis which is caused by a myriad of factors among them that which we can't control(like the climate) and that which we could (like technology and its transfer, and government policy). The work of these research instns. and the academe like UPLB (despite the lack of govt support)is up to production of appropriate technologies, the transfer of these are mandated to be done thru government agencies. And usually that is where we become bogged down, add to this policy and its implementation (or non-implementation), and the ever unscrupulous middlemen-traders who hold our farmers in vicious strangle. We can only wring our hands in frustration. This crisis wasn't a surprise, many scientists have been talking about the decline in rice yields since it was observed in the 80's after 2 decades of growth. Not too many were listening, much like what happened with the warnings on global warming. Given that, this is no time for senate investigations, by the time they are finished our rice stocks are long gone. The people who suggest this deserve to be shot! This is the time for intelligent discussions and immediate action. And given the character of these people in government who should be discussing and acting, one can't help but be really really worried.<BR/>Good day.--MommyJoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16958083.post-86276100344209789292008-03-28T10:21:00.000+08:002008-03-28T10:21:00.000+08:00According to the IRRI, the Filipino farmer still p...According to the IRRI, the Filipino farmer still produces the highest rice crop yield in southeast Asia -- almost twice that of Thailand (from which the Philippines imports rice).<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, our population has grown faster than total production could keep up with (owing to limitations in land allocated to rice cultivation).<BR/><BR/><B>The Roman Catholic Church of the Philippines is the single biggest factor accountable for this horrific increase in our population.</B><BR/><BR/>It's up to today's crop of Young Filipinos to put a stop to the medieval primitivist mindsets of a generation of Pinoys that squandered the opportunities served to the Philippines on a silver platter back in the late 1940's and through the 1950's and 60's.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of Pinoy youth, have you seen <A HREF="http://www.getrealphilippines.com/solution/filipino_youth.html" REL="nofollow">my latest YouTube video</A>? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com