Despite the heavy damage brought about by Super Typhoon “Egay”, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, assured that there is enough buffer stock of rice, the Philippines’ staple grain. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presides over a sectoral meeting with agriculture officials on Tuesday, Aug. 1, in Malacañang to discuss strategies to ensure sufficient rice supply. (KJ Rosales/PPA Pool) In a video message, the President expressed confidence that the DA, which he heads in a concurrent capacity, is ready to address the impact of Egay on the country’s rice production. Marcos also said that the DA is exploring ways to ensure a sufficient supply of rice. “Mukha naman, sa ngayon (It looks like, for now), the supply is ok,” he added. The Chief Executive held a sectoral meeting with DA officials at Malacañang on Tuesday, a week after Egay wreaked havoc to some parts of Northern Luzon, leaving an estimated P1.94 billion worth of agricultural damage. Marcos also shared that sufficiency of “agricultural inputs” is being ascertained to ensure that the price of rice in the market will not increase in the aftermath of the typhoon. Rice supply is projected to reach 5.47 million metric tons (MMT) in the third quarter of 2023, but with a projected demand of 3.79 MMT, it is expected that the country will have a buffer stock of 1.69 MMT in the third quarter. The DA said this buffer stock would be enough to last 45 days, while they look to increase the local production of rice through supporting farmers and through importation from rice-producing neighbor-countries. Meanwhile, also part of the discussions with DA officials is the agency’s preparedness for the El Niño phenomenon. “So, gumawa na…kami ng schedule kung saan tayo kukuha ng production; kung saan tayo bibili dito sa local; kung kailangan mag-import, mag-i-import na naman tayo (So, we made schedule where we’re going to get production; where we’re going to buy locally; if we need to import, we will import),” Marcos said. “Mabuti naman at sa usapan namin, nakita naman na ang pag-import natin ng bigas ay pababa naman nang pababa. Ngunit pagka may emergency na ganito ay kailangan talaga nating tignan kung nangangailangan pa ng pag-import (It’s good and based on our talks, it was seen that the need to import rice has been decreasing. But when there’s an emergency like this, we really need to look if we need to import),” he added. Earlier, the President shared that the country might negotiate with India since there is tough competition among neighboring countries for the supply of rice. He, however, assured that importing rice would be studied carefully and that the DA assured him of stock of rice and other high-value crops that would be distributed to affected farmers. The DA is expected to distribute 111,873 bags of rice seeds, 14,426 bags of corn seeds, and, 2,582 kilograms of assorted vegetable seeds to regions affected by Egay. It also recommended to ramp up local production of rice and production support to ensure a sufficient supply of rice and other agricultural commodities. Other recommendations by the DA include the fast-tracking of the distribution of readily available assistance to rice farmers, especially those in calamity-stricken areas, as well as ensuring the availability of the Quick Response Fund for the immediate rehabilitation of affected areas. The agency is also studying the possibility of purchasing available rice stocks at the lowest accessible price and ensuring the availability of affordable rice, especially to the less fortunate households, through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the Food Stamp Program (FSP).