Rice NGO hits hybrid rice subsidy in Philippines agri budget

R1 is pushing for the implementation of sustainable agriculture and rice farming practices through an additional 158.5 million funds that will be added to the budget of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice). Cantos said lodging it under the Philrice budget will facilitate easier and more transparent monitoring of expenses rather than integrating in the bulk money of the DA. Moreover, Philrice already has an existing unit for sustainable agriculture.

The budget will include P8 million for research and development that will include climate change adoptable rice technology, P18 million for additional personnel for extension services that will promote sustainable rice farming practices and P137.5 million for production support that will include organic fertilizer inputs and setting up of demonstration farms.

“This is really a very small amount compared to the accumulated billions of pesos that the government devoted to its pet technology of hybrid rice that have failed tremendously beyond its expected outcomes but the agriculture officials continue to ignore,” said Cantos.

According to the report of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), agriculture accounts for 15 percent of the national GDP and nearly 40 percent of employment in 2005. Rural poverty remains a major component of total poverty as some 70 percent of the country’s poor live in rural areas.

The average annual net income of a farmer is P16, 650 as of 2004 which is only 20 percent or 1/5 of the annual household poverty threshold. Yet, food spending comprises 44 percent of a family’s household expenditures.

“An alternate route to increase rice productivity is to tap the technical capacity of farmers to utilize available local resources, such as inbred seeds and organic planting materials. The farmers should participate in the process of improving and sustaining rice production through research, development and extension programs,” said Cantos.

According to Cantos, the growing concern over extreme weather conditions also points to the need to look into the problem of climate change. Agriculture is said to be a major contributor of emissions of greenhouse gases, such as methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. The World Food Summit reported that chemical farming together with deforestation is responsible for the 30% of carbon dioxide emissions and 90 percent of nitrous oxide emissions worldwide.

“Before everybody in the world condemns agriculture, organic farming has the potential to reverse those trends, and reduce carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, that contribute to global warming. The long term solution lies in the reduction of the use of fossil fuel,” said Cantos.

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