Intractable

Rising prices for the staple commodity continues to fuel the inflation rate. With untamed inflation, monetary authorities will keep interest rates higher for longer. That will be like applying the brakes on our growth rate.

Perhaps the most effective way to curb rice inflation is to dramatically cut the tariff rate imposed on the commodity. But that will deny government the revenue it needs to modernize our domestic rice production. This means the efficiency of our domestic production will remain stagnant. Later this year, as the toll taken by the El Nino phenomenon is accounted for, we will likely see tighter global supply and a continuing spiral in prices. The beast will not be tamed.

We cannot return to a government monopoly over rice trading. The international market for rice is thin. We cannot be assured adequate supply whenever we decide to import. The bulk importation also creates an incentive for rice traders in mainland Asia to jack up prices and rake in huge profits. There is no way to increase the amount of land we have available for rice farming. Land is a finite resource. Flatland is even more finite. There are competing needs for the land that will bring greater economic output than rice. We need flatland, often the most arable, for commerce, industry and housing.One approach is to integrate farms, introduce mechanization and higher yielding varieties.

Our struggle to be an efficient food producer runs against many old orthodoxies held sacred by groups that insist they be called “progressives.” The road forward will not be easy.D-Link partners with VST ECS to drive innovation, network solutionsGet vivo Y100 for a chance to meet Alden Richards on May 4

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