Philippine's Rice Crisis.

Rice vendors wait for customers amid rice stocks at a public market in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday March 19, 2008.

The Philippine government, one of the world's biggest rice importers, assured the jittery public Wednesday, it is taking steps to secure enough rice supplies amid surging prices and tight stocks worldwide.

The market price has increased by an average of 3 pesos (US$0.07) per kilogram from a year ago, according to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

This column earlier cited the World Food Program's observation that global rice stocks are at a 20-year low while rice prices have surged to a 20-year high.

This has prompted leading rice suppliers, such as Vietnam, India and Egypt, to restrict exports in order to keep their local markets well-stocked and their domestic prices under control.

One reason offered for the global rice shortage, aside from climate change and natural calamities, is the rapid income growths in Asia which have jacked up the demand for rice.

News reports say that Thai rice prices, a global benchmark, surged above the level of $500 a ton for the first time in nearly 20 years, while US rice in Chicago, the benchmark for the world's fourth-largest exporter, jumped by about 75 percent in the past year.

The ironic thing is, even if a nation has lots of money, time may come when it cannot buy rice because the traditional exporters no longer want to sell outside.

We should turn our attention to the looming world shortage; practicable measures can be pushed in a nationwide campaign. My sister-in-law, Neomi Tanedo Olivares, suggests that hotels, restaurants, cafeterias and canteens be advised against issuing too much rice to customers, as much of it ends up in the garbage bins.

On the home-front, we can avoid wastage of rice.

Yeah Philippines are about to be the 2nd india type country, too much poverty and sickness in terms of corruption.

unlike the old years with marcos, we export rice, thats what we had called the miracle rice, every youngsters all over asians had studied here in manila to learn about our agricultural style. we were the best country in asia in terms of agriculture and trades back at those years, and well oriented in terms of clean surroundings, now its all gone, just like father same as the daughter

you get what i mean, Diosdado macapagal's reign was a joke, on his reign before we suffered rice crisis, and when marcos won for presidency by landslide, he emerged and had ended our rice crisis,

now its happening again like father like daughter.

whats next? the instant products? whats next Arroyo administration? JESUS CHRIST!!

no wonder why lots of people leaves philippines for imigration.