Jun Torres

EXTRA! EXTRA!!

Arroyo stops land conversions

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has imposed a two-year moratorium on the processing of all applications for conversion of rice lands into housing subdivisions or commercial areas.

President Arroyo’s directive is contained in Administrative Order 226, which she said, is in line with the policy of the state to make sure that food is available, adequate, and accessible to every Filipino at all times.

To achieve this end, the President said the government has to ensure that all lands utilized and intended for rice production is protected from any other land use or conversion.

Bunye said the moratorium on land conversions became necessary following the global crunch in the supply of staple grains like rice.

“We are 90-percent self-sufficient [on Rice]. We import 10 percent of our requirement. Given what happened in the global market, this is the best thing to do: have a moratorium on land conversion,” Bunye said.

President Arroyo’s order covers not only rice lands, but also lands mentioned under Republic Act 8435 considered as Network of Protected Areas for Agricultural and Agro-industrial Development.

NPAAD covers all irrigated areas, all irrigable lands already covered by irrigation projects; all alluvial plain land highly suitable for agriculture, whether irrigated or not; as well as agri-industrial crop lands or lands presently planted to industrial crops that support the viability or existing agricultural infrastructure and agro-based enterprises.

The classification also covers highlands, areas located at an elevation of 500 meters or above and have the potential for growing semi-temperate and high-value crops, all agricultural lands that are ecologically fragile, mangrove areas and fish sanctuaries. President Arroyo ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform to implement her order.

The global crunch in rice supply this year saw the Philippines emerging as the world’s top rice importer, sourcing over 1 million metric tons of rice from countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and the United States.

When the prices of commercial rice in the local markets went up to P33-P35 a kilo, the government kept to P18.25 the price of state-subsidized rice but allowed only poor families to buy National Food Authority rice.
Likewise, the government launched a drive to crack down on rice hoarders and price gougers, with President Arroyo herself personally visiting the concerned agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation to speed up the prosecution of suspects.