All About Rice

· It is the staple food of about 3 Billion people around the world · 250 Million farmers depend on rice cultivation · 90% of the world's rice is produced and consumed in Asia · It has political, economic, and social significance especially in the Southeast Asian region · The MOST IMPORTANT CROP in the SEA producing 150 Million tons of paddy annually · Its production is associated with irrigation, use of modern varieties, and inputs of fertilizer nutrients. Thus, expansion in any of these inputs rationalizes the increase in rice production · Philippines has the 3rd largest irrigated rice area, next to Indonesia and Vietnam · Thailand and Vietnam remain to be the region's major rice exporters while Indonesia and the Philippines remain to be major rice importer in the region · The Philippines is 9th in terms of rice consumption in the world next to China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, and Japan · World's top rice- exporting countries are Thailand (1), Vietnam (2), USA (3), China (4), Burma (10) and Taiwan (14) · World's top rice- importing countries are Indonesia (1), Philippines (8), and Malaysia (9) MAJOR PROBLEMS IN RICE PRODUCTION IN THE PHILIPPINES · Poor production techniques · Lack of irrigation · High dependence on weather conditions · Massive land conversion · Small farmers are highly indebted to private money lenders and loan sharks who usually charge high interest rates because of the high costs of inputs such as fertilizers and seeds · Urbanization · Rice trade is controlled by private capitalists with whom farmers have debts · Illegal rice trading practices · Liberalization of the rice industry due to GATT- WTO- Agreements on Agriculture (SOURCE: AFA and ASIADHRRA Issue Paper)