A lot of Filipinos are suffering. There is an extent of prostitution, human trafficking, squatters, corrupt politicians, lack of police and poverty in the country. But there is worse problem that gradually kills us. The agricultural products of ours are not enough which may be one of the reasons why most Filipinos particularly in Metro Manila are suffering from hunger.
According
to the data, rice production in the country is not enough. It is caused by the
El Niño that we experienced in the previous months. Rice plantations were greatly
dried which caused us to import rice from nearby countries such as in Vietnam.
It is humiliating to think that once we taught Vietnam varied ways to improve
and increase rice production, which caused them to be successful in rice
exportation and it is timid to say that we were one of the first rice exporting
countries in Asia but now, Philippines is one of the countries that face rice
crisis.
We
are able to survive the crisis because we depend on rice importation. Millions
of pesos are given to other countries every time we face El Niño or La Niña.
Unfortunately, some products we import are just being wasted because some of
vegetables and rice are destroyed due to pests and improper care. Sometimes due
to excess amount of rice we get, they are just stocked in warehouses. As a
result, thousands or even a million of pesos seems to be bubbles that disappear
on air.
In
order to get rid of the problem, we need to be resourceful and thrifty on foods
being served on our tables. Do not waste them. As much as possible, avoid food
leftovers on our plates since in a country having a big population, every gram
of rice wasted by a person is the same as desolating tons of rice grains in a
day.
Another
is to say no to industrialization. A lot of lands are used to build factories
and buildings instead of planting crops. There will be more chance for the
country to have food shortage and there will be more spaces for factories which
emit harmful air pollutants and fewer spaces for the solutions of rice crisis
if industrialization continues to spread.
Say
yes to Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). It can help our farmers to
alter their economic status. The lands where they plant rice will be given to
them for free. Their hard work will be reasonable. They will not have any share
from the money they earn. They will be urged to plant more rice. As they plant
rice with urgency, there will be more production of rice. As they produce more,
the more they can provide us foods to eat. It will minimize hunger. It will be
possible for us Filipinos to export instead to import products. We will be
independent. As we not import products from other countries, our economic
status will change, because of more rice, the economy will rise.
It
is good that some of us thought some alternative ways to solve the crisis. In
Mindanao for example, some farmers do not really intend to plant rice anymore,
they only plant corn. Corns are easier to be taken care. They do not need too
much water to make them survive. They only need usual amount of water we use in
gardens. Corns are then to be eaten by them as substitute to rice. They eat
these corns sometimes with viand.
Some
of us are being westernized. As a substitute of rice, some just eat bread. Some
use to spread breads with viands such as adobo, afritada and even pinakbet they
tried.
These
are some of the alternative solutions every time we face food shortage.
It
is difficult to solve crises like what we are facing now especially that we
experience now La Niña. I know that our government is doing their best to
materialize Noynoy Aquino’s objective which is “Tuwid na Daan”. President
Noynoy concentrates in good governance and in getting rid of corrupt officials
to accomplish one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 which is
eradicating poverty but giving attention to Philippine agriculture can be a
solution to not only to economic crisis but also to the becoming worse poverty
in the country.
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