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Item Restricted Philippine rice self-sufficiency: issues and prospects(2010-03) Barbero, Patricia Anne P.; Lastimosa, Pamela Joy A.; Clarete, Ramon L.Rice is life. Such is the metaphor usually attributed to the aptly called the golden grain, what with its nutritional, economic, and intrinsic cultural values benefited by millions of people around the world. In the Philippines, rice is the most staple food for 88 million people who consume 33, 000 tons of rice a day. It is therefore not surprising that supply shortages and the achievement of rice self-sufficiency have always been a national concern. Rice self-sufficiency pertains to the ability to domestically produce the total rice requirement of the country. It entails long-term food security and is argued to be a solution to the widespread poverty in the country. For this primary reason, the achievement of self-sufficiency in rice has always bothered every administration that takes over the government. This study was concerned with the vital question: Will the Philippines achieve rice self-sufficiency in 2019? The purpose of the study was to develop econometric models to determine what significant factors are affecting supply and demand by considering the performance of the rice sector.. Annual data about rice quantities spanning from 1970 to the present were collected from both government and non-government institutions. This study used Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression analysis. The rice market model employed in this study integrated the different factors which contributed to the total supply of rice and the different variables governing the total rice demand. To track self-sufficiency, this study utilized a widely used measure: the self-sufficiency ratio, or the proportion of rice supply to rice demand. The results of the simulations indicated that demand for rice will continue to increase. High rice consumption is driven by rapid population growth and per capita consumption increase. Income and prices also affect the demand for rice. On the other hand, rice supply will fall short of demand until 2018 if the country would rely on domestic production of rice alone. The study found out that the equality of supply and demand from 2009 to 2019 can be achieved through the importation of rice, indicating the increasing role of imports in making up for the shortfall. The principal conclusion was that by 2019, it is possible for the rice sector to become self-sufficient, albeit 2019 is a much later time than what was targeted by the government. The key to self-sufficiency both lies in sustainable agriculture and structural reforms. Sustainable agriculture provides means in developing area harvested to rice and increasing rice yield by adopting viable ways in rice production which comes through improving technology, human capital, research and development (R&D), and infrastructures. However, aside from these, rice self-sufficiency also calls for reforms in the different institutions involved in the rice sector, particularly the government. The achievement of rice self-sufficiency is critically dependent on the development of institutions and structures at the rural level to support increased rice production. Rice policy should be well-defined and formulated in the country. Having sufficient stocks at hand enhances the country's food security. With regard to importation, the government must consider reducing its import tariff (and thus the price of rice) and make room for the private sector to allow competition and improve the rice production efficiency. Self-sufficiency is a commendable goal that despite obscurities, every concerned individual has never given up optimism in achieving it.