Govt asks fast-food chains to offer less rice

[chilli]

Just heard this news yesterday on my way home... what are your POVs regarding this issue?

[SIZE=2]By CARMEL CRIMMINS
Reuters

MANILA - The Philippine government will ask fast-food outlets to offer half portions of rice to encourage customers to eat less of the national staple as Manila scrambles to boost supplies.

"We would like to exercise all efforts at ensuring the Philippines rice stocks continue to be maintained at a manageable level to ensure that the food security of the country will be maintained," Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told Reuters in a telephone interview on Monday.

"I'm asking fast-food restaurants to give their customers an option to order half a cup of rice because right now if you do a survey of all the fast-food joints you will notice a fraction of them always have excess rice.

"People don't really finish their rice."

The Philippines, one of the world's biggest importers of rice, is struggling to source supplies of up to 1.8 million tons this year as prices sky rocket due to rising demand and tight inventories around the globe.

Yap said the Philippines, where rising harvests cannot keep pace with population growth of three babies a minute, was not facing a shortage of its national staple but people should conserve the grain, which is eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Fast-food restaurants are popular meeting points for families and office workers in the Philippines and Jollibee Foods Corp., the country's biggest fast-food chain, as well as international rivals McDonalds and KFC serve rice as an accompaniment with their burgers and deep-fried chicken.

Leftovers

If Filipinos could be more prudent with their consumption, rice imports could go down by 37 percent to 1.17 million tons compared to last year's import requirement of 1.87 million tons, the Department of Agriculture has estimated.

The government has failed in three consecutive auctions to secure the full volume of rice it needs and is hoping to tap an emergency regional rice fund to help with a potential shortfall.

Thailand has committed to set aside 15,000 tons of rice for the Philippines under the East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve and officials have also contacted Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.

Results for last week's auction for 550,000 tons of rice, which only attracted 355,500 tons of bids, are expected this week.

The government is also looking to re-tender to buy up to 100,000 tons of rice from the United States after receiving only one bid last week. It is buying the US rice using $65 million in credit guarantees from the US agriculture department.

Last month, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went outside normal commercial channels to ask the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to guarantee a supply of up to 1.5 million tons of rice, signalling rising nervousness about tight supply.

Hanoi, however, said it could only guarantee 1 million tons of rice, which already includes a volume of around 700,000 tonnes which Vietnamese traders had already agreed to supply in auctions in December and January.

Vietnam sold nearly 1.4 million tons of rice to the Philippines last year.

[/SIZE]

[Bogeyman]

Singilin siguro nila ng double the meal price yung customer pag hindi naubos yung kanin sa order niya, para madala.

Anlakas ko pa namang mag-rice. Hindi ka naman pwedeng mag-tinapay lagi kasi mahal na din ang flour. Walang lulugaran ah.

[chilli]

eh di ba sa mcdo nga lang ang liit na ng rice nila eh kung gagawin pang half yun baka tatlong subo na lang ang rice na yun.

[Jun aka Pekto]

When I was there, it was the goal of the Marcos regime to be self-sufficient in rice. The Philippines probably was self-sufficient because I never heard of the Philippines importing rice back then.

I wonder what happened? The Philippines is a very bountiful land with the capacity to be self-sufficient in rice. There was a period when year after year of typhoons wiped out the Philippine rice crop. I remember because my brother-in-law used to grow rice until those series of typhoons put him out of business. Did the Philippine government simply give up after that?

I mean I'm just wondering because it sounds a little weird to hear the Philippines importing rice.

[Horsepower]

When I was there, it was the goal of the Marcos regime to be self-sufficient in rice. The Philippines probably was self-sufficient because I never heard of the Philippines importing rice back then.

I wonder what happened? The Philippines is a very bountiful land with the capacity to be self-sufficient in rice. There was a period when year after year of typhoons wiped out the Philippine rice crop. I remember because my brother-in-law used to grow rice until those series of typhoons put him out of business. Did the Philippine government simply give up after that?

I mean I'm just wondering because it sounds a little weird to hear the Philippines importing rice.

Indeed you're right. It's very weird considering we have vast lands here.

It's a mix of circumstances. Farmers are being looked down here, lack of support from the impotent gang of thieves who likes calling itself "the government", population explosion which lead to housing demand etc.

After sixteen years, I went back to my Father's homeland (Sorsogon City). I missed the vast lands of forest and rice fields there where I used to play as a toddler

good thing I didn't bother bringing my rc helicopter since I just took a coach.

My cousins have farms up North though where we can get rice if cost here in the city becomes too prohibitive. I have friends in the Visayas region (Cebu, Iloilo etc) too where I can also source things we need.

But my worry is the common people. Where are they gonna get food. At this time, rice is already 33-35/kg here in NCR.

when I was younger, I remember it's only 10 or 12 and fare was only 0.75 ata.

[chua_riwap]

Kay Marcos noon, may "Masagana 99". Ito yung program nya where the farmers were taught the right way to till their farmlands. Yung one hectare would yield more or less, 99 cavans of palay.

Eh si GMA, wala bang ganito sa listahan nya? Iba ang "masagana" eh.

[LadyRider]

When I was there, it was the goal of the Marcos regime to be self-sufficient in rice. The Philippines probably was self-sufficient because I never heard of the Philippines importing rice back then.

I wonder what happened? The Philippines is a very bountiful land with the capacity to be self-sufficient in rice. There was a period when year after year of typhoons wiped out the Philippine rice crop. I remember because my brother-in-law used to grow rice until those series of typhoons put him out of business. Did the Philippine government simply give up after that?

I mean I'm just wondering because it sounds a little weird to hear the Philippines importing rice.

Honestly Sir Jun, that is the sad reality that the Philippines is facing right now... We import our rice crops from countries like Thailand and Vietnam.

And to think that the International Rice Reasearch Instituite (IRRI) is located here in the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna that makes it more ironic!

The Philippines used to be one of the top producers of rice in Asia unfortunately, not only bad weather but politics and land grabbing are just some of the reasons why the rice industry fell.

Some rice fields were bought by deveopers and eventually were turned into villages or mid-priced to posh subdivisions especially in the south!

When you drive along the highways may it be going to the North or South of the Philippines, new developements of subdivisions are no longer unusual sites to see.

It's sad... Really!

[Jun aka Pekto]

Just to steer this thread back on topic....... Half a cup? Gee, that's just 2 mouthfuls to this rice lover.

Personally, I rather see the bread/biscuit portions lessened rather than the rice. Besides, Western-style biscuits don't taste as good as pan de sal and I prefer rice over bread. There's so such thing as uneaten rice.

[jcastillo932]

eh di ba sa mcdo nga lang ang liit na ng rice nila eh kung gagawin pang half yun baka tatlong subo na lang ang rice na yun.

Hahaha!!! Dapat siguro mag offer na ng half rice yung ibang restaurant na malalaki ang servings ng pagkain.

Kasalanan ng gibyerno yan, dapat sinoportahan nila ang magsasaka in terms of irrigation, farm equipemnt and farm to market roads. Dapat hindi pinayagan ng gobyerno ang mga imported na bigas at gulay na pumasok dito sa Pilipinas. Malaki ang area ng Pilipinas na puede pag tamnan ng palay, hindi tayo dapat nagka-karoon ng food shortage.

[chilli]

eh mostly ng farmland now are being converted into subdivisions and industrial zone. kaya definitely we will be experiencing scarcity of rice if they continue.

[tidus1203]

Maybe they should bring back ROLLS again. Dati sa KFC may rolls ngayon wala na rice nalang....

[jcastillo932]

eh mostly ng farmland now are being converted into subdivisions and industrial zone. kaya definitely we will be experiencing scarcity of rice if they continue.

IIlan lang yang kino-convert into industrial zone and subdivision. Pumunta ka sa probinsiya, ang daming naka tiwangwang na lupa na walang irrigation. Yung iba naman may irrigation pero alang kapital ang mga magsasaka. Any region in the Philippines even in Nueva Ecija area may problema sa irrigation and capitalization for farmers. Very little portion lang yang convertion of lands compared to idle lands na nasa probisiya.

[fireblade]

Hahaha!!! Dapat siguro mag offer na ng half rice yung ibang restaurant na malalaki ang servings ng pagkain.

Kasalanan ng gibyerno yan, dapat sinoportahan nila ang magsasaka in terms of irrigation, farm equipemnt and farm to market roads. Dapat hindi pinayagan ng gobyerno ang mga imported na bigas at gulay na pumasok dito sa Pilipinas. Malaki ang area ng Pilipinas na puede pag tamnan ng palay, hindi tayo dapat nagka-karoon ng food shortage.

Sandali chief, you are too fast on the trigger. Its not only the government at fault. Everyone as in everyone has contributed for this to happen. Lets stop blaming the government for anything and everything that is happening.

Take a deep breath and look at the mirror. What can I do to help

[XTO]

IIlan lang yang kino-convert into industrial zone and subdivision. Pumunta ka sa probinsiya, ang daming naka tiwangwang na lupa na walang irrigation. Yung iba naman may irrigation pero alang kapital ang mga magsasaka. Any region in the Philippines even in Nueva Ecija area may problema sa irrigation and capitalization for farmers. Very little portion lang yang convertion of lands compared to idle lands na nasa probisiya.

kaya yung iba umaasa na lang sa ulan dahil mahal at mahirap ang patubig. natural tutunganga ang lupa. kawawa nga mga magsasaka natin ambabata pa pero ang itsura nila ay parang doble sa edad. sa kakaisip at sa exposure din sa hirap.

^^^ Correct. Daming nakatiwangwang na mga lupa sa mga province. Wala na gustong magsaka. Yung mga anak ng mga dating magsasaka na nagtapos ng college, mas gusto ng magtrabaho nalang sa mga multinational companies, call centers, or mag OFW. Kung nahihirapan naman sa tuition, either ibebenta ang mga kalabaw or ang lupa mismo.

Wala or kulang kasi ang support na binibigay ng government sa mga farmers. Instead na tulungan i-improve ang crops dito para maparami ang ani, nagiimport nalang ang NFA. Why? May kickback sila pag imported, kikita sila.

agree! naunahan lang ako ni boybi eh j/l. yes, mas natutuwa sila pag need natin mag import, yan ang favorite nilang trabaho walang kahirap hirap, bukod sa mabango ka sa mamamayan dahil na-remedyohan nila ang pangangailangan ay nakatago namana doon ang maitim na kurakot....papayag ba silang walang mapapala? nakaka awang bansa ito. bigas na lang kinakapos pa samantalang noon tayo ang nag-e-export dahil sa ganda ng ating punla. ayun nakuha na nag thailand. tsk tsk

[jcastillo932]

Sandali chief, you are too fast on the trigger. Its not only the government at fault. Everyone as in everyone has contributed for this to happen. Lets stop blaming the government for anything and everything that is happening.

Take a deep breath and look at the mirror. What can I do to help

Masyado kasi maraming extra curricular-kurakot ang gobyerno kaya sila dapat sisihin. Yung investment nila sa kung ano anong useless/futile projects, at pag allowed nila ng importation of crops for food ang mga dahilan ng pagbagsak ng farming business/economy. Pinipilit kasi nilang maging industrialize ang pinas eh agri country tayo. Japan kaya gumanda ang ekonomiya dahil inuna nilang ayusin ang agricultural sector nila, mapa private man or government before sila bumalik at nag focus in industrializing their country.

Isa pang probelma, yang NFA rice na yan maraming "gago" sa NFA na ibebenta nila yung NFA rice sa malalaking Rice mill tapos pag labas sa rice mill iba na ang tatak. Dapat gumawa ang gobyerno ng hakbang para tumaas presyo na palay, hindi yung makikiutsaba sa mga barat na rice mill. Kaya hindi feasible ang rice farming dahil sa mga dahilan na yan. Sa Nueva Ecija sentro ng bigas, pero maraming area dian na idle lands dahil walang irrigation. Ewan ko kung saan napunta yung pondo.

Isa pang nakakainis isipin, Yang mga Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Idonesians, sa IRRI sa UPLB nila natututan ang technology ng rice farming. Ngayon sa kanila tayo nag iimport ng bigas, sasabihin mo bang hindi lumalaki ang population nila at di umuunlad ang bansa nila kaya may surplus sila sa bigas? think about it bro!!

[Flagg]

Sandali chief, you are too fast on the trigger. Its not only the government at fault. Everyone as in everyone has contributed for this to happen. Lets stop blaming the government for anything and everything that is happening.

Take a deep breath and look at the mirror. What can I do to help

But the government really is at fault. It's called CARP.