Why does the Philippines import rice?

"The Philippines is currently the largest importer of rice in the world, --------  (My note:  They used to be self-sufficient in rice.) Three main factors explain why the Philippines imports rice:


Land area: The Philippines has around 300,000 square kilometers, of which around 43,000 square kilometers of harvested area are used for rice production. As most of the country is very mountainous and consists of many small islands, suitable land is limited to expand rice production into without affecting wetlands, forests, or areas producing other crops. Urban areas also continue to expand rapidly.


Population growth: The population of the Philippines is estimated at 97 million. Its annual growth rate of around 2% – among the world’s highest – means that just to keep pace with growing demand the country would have to increase rice production and yield at rates rarely seen in history.


Infrastructure: Irrigation infrastructure is not used and maintained as efficiently as it could be, thus reducing productivity potential. Transport infrastructure, particularly good-quality roads, is lacking in the Philippines, which affects the transport of rice and hinders the rice trade.  -------------------


Philippine rice yields are close to the world average and higher than in many other rice-producing countries in Asia, including Thailand and India. There is, however, still room for improvement when compared to the high rice yields of China and Vietnam.


Research that International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is involved in that is helping Filipino farmers increase their rice yields includes:


Developing new high-yielding rice varieties with built-in resistance to pests, diseases, and other stresses such as heat and drought.
Developing rice crop management strategies that improve nutrient-use efficiency to get the most value out of inputs and reduce wastage.
Developing climate change adaptation strategies and technologies.
Training the next generation of rice scientists and building the capacity of rice practitioners to ensure the sustainable development of the rice industry.  ---------------------


IRRI also discusses with the Philippine government ways to increase rice production, improve the accessibility of affordable rice to poor rice consumers, and reduce the national trade deficit in rice. We do not advocate specific policy positions for the Philippine government to adopt because we understand that policy is developed in light of a wide range of inputs and must consider economic, social, political, and environmental issues, some of which are beyond the scope of IRRI’s expertise."


(My note:  The Philippines exports a lot of tuna to help offset rice imports.  However, the main source of protein in the Philippines is fish.  Fishing is becoming more difficult.  Please read the next post, and you will get an idea of what I am talking about.  Having food to eat is becoming more difficult for more people.)


http://irri.org/news-events/hot-topics/why-does-the-philippines-import-rice


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nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification  nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions