GMA adviser says rice cartel proposal =91betrays Asean solidarity=92
By Paolo Romero
Friday, May 2, 2008
President Arroyo=92s economic adviser strongly opposed yesterday
proposals to create a rice cartel among rice-producing nations in the
region.
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said from the standpoint of national interest,
the proposal of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to create a rice
cartel to include Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos similar to the
Organization of Petroleum Ex****ting Countries that tries to sets crude
oil prices is =93clearly a betrayal of Asean solidarity.=94
He said an =93organization of rice ex****ting countries (OREC) would
control 75 percent of tradeable (rice) surplus in the region.=94
=93That=92s what friends are for in the Asean,=94 Salceda told The STAR.
=93=
In
crunch time, you only have yourself to rely on and to blame. Life is
cruel.=94
He said the only way for the Philippines to address the food situation
is to =93put real money in agriculture and take care of our farmers and
go for rice sufficiency.=94
Salceda said the emergence of OREC has a clarifying effect on what =93we
as a nation should value.=94 He said the proposed rice cartel makes rice
sufficiency a categorical imperative.
President Arroyo had reiterated her assurance of the country=92s secure
food supply as the government works to stabilize prices of basic
commodities.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the first priority of Mrs. Arroyo
is to put food on the table for Filipinos, particularly the poor.
Meantime, Rep. Abraham Mitra believes the advantage that may probably
be brought about by five nations to create an Opec-type rice cartel is
that it will force the Philippines =96 once a top rice ex****ter =96 to now
be self-sufficient.
=93One good thing that OREC will probably bring is it will force us to
grow more food. If we have the resources to grow rice, then there is
no reason why we should allow ourselves to be a hostage of any
cartel,=94 said Mitra.
The congressman, who heads the House committee on agriculture,
reminded the government that =93we have control over our agricultural
policy, and that is to start to be insular-looking when it comes to
rice and food security.=94
=93We are entering an era in which the saying =91No man is an island=92
can
be applied no more to rice. At least on this staple, we must strive to
grow all our needs,=94 Mitra said.
He said there is no longer any point in the =93previous school of
thought=94 that the country can use its vast tract of land resources
=93for more lucrative agricultural and non-agricultural purposes, and
use the income to buy cheap rice abroad.=94
In a statement, Mitra said the =93initial rice price shocks=94 would lead
the Philippines to eventually overcome =93supply gaps=94 in the staple.
=93Necessity is the mother of rice production.=94
=93To its credit, government is moving towards that direction (self-
sufficiency). Funds are being released, agencies are mobilized. Once
shunned as a poor cousin of high-value crops like asparagus, rice is
again the star of the agriculture program,=94 he said.
Mitra, on the other hand, allayed fears that the rice production drive
would lead to =93monocropping=94 and the eventual loss of the =93rich
variety of Philippine agriculture.=94 =96 With Delon ****calla
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