It should not come as a big surprise why the Philippines experiences artificial rice shortages right now.
From my stand point, the rice shortage in the domestic market is deliberately created. This is also meant to impress upon the people that there is a strong need to import cheaper but quality rice from neighboring Asian countries. I’m not hundred percent sure if the intention was only meant to create an atmosphere that would serve the interests of some unscrupulous businessmen who have links with the higher ups.
To them, importing rice from somewhere is the ultimate weapon to flood the domestic market with much cheaper rice in order to supply the buffer demands of the local consumers. Another intention is to help the National Food Authority’s rice stock bloat.
From what I knew, the major reasons why the country experience rice shortage impinge on a number of problems. One possible reason is that some of those vast ricefields were already converted to housing projects. Secondly, many farmers have stopped planting because they could no longer afford the exorbitant prices of fertilizers, which are not subsidized by the government. And thirdly, many farmers could only plant two times a year due to the absence of irrigation system. Normally, most rice farmers would only rely on the rains to feed their fields with water.
The Philippines has the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippines Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Luzon. Rice scientists and researchers in these institutions continue to do advanced research on new rice varieties that could boost rice production in the country. But the will of these scientists and researchers are no match to the indomitable will and strategies of big businessmen, in cahoots with some agriculture officials, to make life difficult for the millions of ordinary consumers.