DA reiterates country has enough rice in the next few months
Despite the reported damage to the rice sector due to Super Typhoon ''Egay'', the Department of Agriculture ensures that the country has sufficient supply in the next months.
"The imported supply that arrived in the previous month is as big as 1.9 million metric tons and then we have local production of 5.7 million metric tons. If you add that we have enough supply for the coming months," Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian said during the "Laging Handa" public briefing on Wednesday.
Sebastian said aside from the 5.7 million metric tons that was produced during the dry season, the government is also expecting local harvest for the months of August and September.
Based on the latest DA report, the damage and losses reached P3.17 billion of which P1.34 billion was recorded from the rice sector.
Sebastian also explained that the rice in the early stage of planting in the affected farms can still recover if the flooding is eased in less than two weeks.
"If the rice was still in the early stage, it can still recover despite the flooding, as long as it will not be flooded for more than two weeks. If it's flooded for too long it will really die, but it will only stay flooded for two to three days it can still recover and if it was just newly planted was washed out we can still replant," he said.
"Most of the damaged rice farms were still in the early stage, so our classification is partially damaged," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
