LGU Bacolod City, you are doing only half-good imposing half-rice
policy among the rice eaters in your Beloved City! You can do more if you pay
attention to your neighbor Iloilo City. That city is helping farmers, of the
municipality of Zarraga in your own Negros Island, produce more rice, sell more,
and earn more substantially and sustainably, and at the same time make available more healthy rice.
"Half-rice" is a stop-gap measure, and it has been
4 years since you came out with City Ordinance 08-14-764 on 03 December 2014 –
and your city is still worried about not having enough rice for rice eaters?
That is because your analysis of what to do is faulty.
In your City Ordinance 08-14-764, you claimed that natural
disasters, high cost of fuel, hoarding, smuggling and indiscriminate conversion
of agricultural lands are causing the supply of rice to fall and the price of
rice to rise. In that case, you are helpless! Your beloved Ordinance could not have prevented the supply of rice to
dwindle.
Nonetheless, if you want to shoot many birds with only 1
stone, copy from your neighbor Iloilo City that is helping farmers, of the
municipality of Zarraga in nearby Negros Island, become better and more
prosperous rice farmers – and at the same time make available healthy rice. I'm
referring to the Zarraga Integrated Diversified Organic Farmers Association,
ZIDOFA, chaired by Joby Arandela. They are doing what they call "Organic SRI"
accompanied by a "closed loop value chain" (I have written about
this; see my essay, "PH Organic Program & Organic SRI: And The Twain
Shall Never Meet?" GAIA Con GAIA,
gaiavsgaia.blogspot.com).
Bacolod City, instead of less rice for rice eaters, why not more
rice from rice growers? Your rice farmers can emulate ZIDOFA farmers as they:
(1) Decrease costs of production
(2) Increase yields
(3) Increase net incomes
(4) Decrease damage to environment
(5) Supply healthy grains to Iloilo fast food
joints.
What else do you want?!
ZIDOFA farmers are growing rice using the System of Rice
Intensification, SRI, that has proven not only to be a life saver but also a
lifestyle saver – farmers are selling more because it's healthy rice, being
organically grown; they are leading improved and sustainable lives because
their rice produce are highly in demand; and institutional buyers are giving wholesome wholesale prices the farmers
deserve. No one should be having to eat
half rice!
Yes, Bacolod, PhilRice's policy of RiCEPonsibility is
desirable – because a waste is a waste – but it was/is not meant to provide a lasting solution to rice insufficiency in
the Philippines.
If a million more farmers grow more hybrid rice, they will harvest
more; if they practice organic SRI, they will reward more themselves and other people
as they subtract their costs of production, add yields, multiply net incomes, subtract
costs on the environment, and supply more healthy rice to millions more who are
health-conscious.
Then, I am sure this country will be self-sufficient
in rice!
Bacolod, your City Ordinance is good, but we need Cash. From
rice!517
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