The Colonel called me. He shared that he was in the Farm and had asked the caretakers to plant rice. I agree. Rice is so expensive now just today the woman I buy my daily portions of cooked rice said it's now 45 pesos a kilo when it was only 34 two months ago. Yesterday my half cup of cooked rice was only 6 pesos, today it is now seven pesos. Imagine a family of five with an income of P5,000 a month. Seriously. I can't imagine.
I was watching an investigative report on rice and was saddened that the Philippines which is blessed with so much fertile ground is more impoverished because land that was used agriculturally have been turned into golf courses, subdivisions, malls, skyscrapers, or a measly parking space. Farmers do not want to plant rice because their ROI is non-existent. An interview with a rice farmer revealed he borrowed money as capital to buy the palay* and chemicals. The money he borrows, usually 50,000 pesos, is used only for his 2 hectare land. By harvest time which is also the time he is due to pay his loan, his loan has ballooned already to 75,000 pesos due to interests. Usually he would be able to harvest the amount he needs to pay his loan. This is if the weather cooperates.
This interview was conducted at Banaue Rice Terraces, which UN declared a world heritage site in 1995 not just because of its beauty but also of its purpose. Despite the abundance of land they only till it once a year since the hybrid rice could not be sustained in the high altitude of the environment. The younger generations also do not wish to farm as they opt to work in the cities or for local tourism. One can't blame them as farming is tedious work which sometimes does not yield much.
Rice crisis is not just centered in the Philippines. Globally, the food crises is manifold including the rise of cost of fuel, the changes of the weather due to global warming, drought in Australia, earthquake in China. Here in our country the pressure is brought on by demographics. Our huge population overpass problems of biofuels and climate changes. We used to be the number one country that produced rice, we even taught other nations how to cultivate it. But now we importing more than we are producing. Our population is increasing but the land we till is declining. Thanks to a surge in rice and oil prices, inflation hit a three-year high of 8.3% in April. According to the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, a 10% rise in food prices will push an additional 2.3 million into poverty.
While our government is providing rice subsidies and fast food restaurants now offer half portions of rice to prevent waste, I can't help but wonder how long will it last before the public coffers will be depleted? That with the rising cost of electricity and fuel, the continuous corruption of our government officials, the lack of the government's ability to come up with long term realistic plans for our country, the Catholic Church stance against contraceptives, I feel sorry for the 30 million Filipinos who earn less than a dollar a day. We have a saying "kapag maigsi ang kumot, matutuong mamuluktot**" but how long will the Filipino people try to adjust? We are a pretty enduring bunch usually laughing when misfortunes strike to deal with the pain, but as I passed by a long line of people waiting to buy NFA rice (cheap rice from national depots) I don't see anyone smiling. Only tired, sweaty, sad, and impatient looking faces.
Lately, whenever I eat I can't help but stare at my rice and feel guilty. Somewhere in that same moment, I know another person is hungry and could not afford to feed himself or his children. With this thought I say a prayer and hope that they would be blessed like me.
*palay - Unhulled rice
**kapag maigsi ang kumot, matutuong mamuluktot - if your blanket is short, learn to bend (or something like that)
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