tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post1555853714716620588..comments2023-11-05T17:15:58.937+08:00Comments on WHAT DO WE CARE?: THE OPINION MAKERS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE COUNTRYjc smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416164709039335928noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-68831411221291978002008-04-09T20:05:00.000+08:002008-04-09T20:05:00.000+08:00Hi Sidney!Just recently, we were told that Filipin...Hi Sidney!<BR/><BR/>Just recently, we were told that Filipino rice farms yield double compared to the amount per hectare produced by Vietnamese, Thai and other farms. The thing with this country is, our farm lands are decreasing and the population is increasing, hence the shortage. In addition, we have problems with unscrupulous rice traders, lazy farmers and people with nothing but an intention to overthrow the government, whoever the president may be.jc smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416164709039335928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-70088010135308439232008-04-09T17:24:00.000+08:002008-04-09T17:24:00.000+08:00"Teach them how to increase their efficiency. Teac..."Teach them how to increase their efficiency. Teach them the ways of high breed farming and other good farming practices."<BR/><BR/>That is the way to go... why does Vietnam, Taiwan and other countries have surplus of rice? They even manage to export rice! <BR/><BR/>A lot of farmers only do two harvests a year while it is perfectly possible to do three rice harvests a year...Sidneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02495108366627361182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-27773722110035294882008-04-06T10:35:00.000+08:002008-04-06T10:35:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-55353248177318059672008-04-05T19:10:00.000+08:002008-04-05T19:10:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-38481180588840590572008-04-05T07:51:00.000+08:002008-04-05T07:51:00.000+08:00Hi Francesca, Thanks for the visit.Well,we continu...Hi Francesca, Thanks for the visit.Well,we continue to seek foreign investments but our tax laws, red tape and corruption is making the effort very difficult. As for leadership, our situation is not as bad as Zimbabwe. Though I agree that we have a lot of stupid people here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-4439737498770269932008-04-05T07:48:00.000+08:002008-04-05T07:48:00.000+08:00Hi Durano, There's been a crisis here because of o...Hi Durano, There's been a crisis here because of our low production for a very long time now. A bigger crisis is yet to come but prices already went up when the activists and the opposition started barking like mad dogs.<BR/><BR/>As for the farmers being forced to sell to the NFA, the govt buys only 1% of their production. The farmers sell the rest to the unscrupulous traders who financed their fertilizers and seeds. Right now, they are demanding that the government buys 25% of the entire country's production at a much bigger price, continue to increase the buying price and for life. To me, that's a simple dole out.<BR/><BR/>Their leader, Ka Tonting also angrily asks for continued subsidy and claims that if the government does that, this country can become the food basket in the world. Stupid isnt it - the world's food supplier that is made possible by gigantic subsidies. <BR/><BR/>I agree with investments like irrigation, roads and post harvest facilities. I simply spit on lifetime and heavily subsidies on palay purchases, fertilizers, seedlings, etc..<BR/><BR/>As for the high breed rice, the one's being sold by the government now is not the IRRI variety. It's the one developed in Laguna by Henry Lim Bon Liong, a businessman who initially didn't anything about rice but took lately took special interest in it. He was taught by the rainmaker of China's rice industry how to crossbreed local varieties until he came out with the Gloria Miracle rice that yields record harvests per hectare in some areas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-47556661665677603352008-04-05T02:07:00.000+08:002008-04-05T02:07:00.000+08:00i suppose, our country will progress if there are ...i suppose, our country will progress if there are FOREIGN investors giving jobs to our people.<BR/><BR/>Like in Zimbabwe, beginning in 2000, Pres Mugabe began an effort to redistribute land from white holders (predominantly large farms) to black people (predominantly government miisters and cronies).<BR/><BR/>The blacks doesnt know how to manage the farm. Voila, no production.<BR/><BR/>Then Zimbabwe's economy went down by 100,580.2% in January 2008.<BR/>The Predident, started to print bank notes(zimbabwe dollars) thinking it would solve the problem, haha<BR/><BR/>hopefully, our govt would see the lesson from Zimbabwe govt.Francescahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01991611152447546569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529560774624974980.post-61942639331424103862008-04-04T23:54:00.000+08:002008-04-04T23:54:00.000+08:00Hi JC,There is a looming crisis in Rice. Our uncon...Hi JC,<BR/><BR/>There is a looming crisis in Rice. Our uncontrolled population growth, thanks to the Catholic Church pressure, keeps up the consumption levels. Poor harvests because of inadequate inputs that the farmers cannot afford plague production; in addition to pests and typhoons.<BR/><BR/>Vietnam has ordered a stop to rice export after this coming delivery to the Philippines. Thailand and Cambodia have increased their prices to limit exports and stabilize their domestic supply.<BR/><BR/>The reason Farmers are asking for subsidies is that they are forced to sell to the NFA who buys at a low price, to reduce costs to us urban dwellers. They also want money to buy inputs for higher yield, to increase their incomes. In part, the crisis is overstated because traders and middlemen hoard the rice to create a crisis that will raise their selling price, then make a killing.<BR/><BR/>Introduction of high yielding varieties was done in the 70's under the Green Revolution with disastrous results. The plants could not get zinc and iron from the soil because of some defect in the DNA produced. Also, these were heavily dependent on herbicides and pesticides that raised the costs of farmers.<BR/><BR/>The result was that farmers were in deep debt, no seeds to plant, lost their lands and were displaced. They had to move to upland farms and proceeded to do kaingin to survive. Also, the chemicals introduced to the soil ruined the quality of the land and damaged the bio-diversity of the farmlands. Kuhol, dalag, crabs, field frogs were decimated and exterminated, leaving farmers with nothing to augment their diets. It also destroyed the water systems that irrigated the farms, together with the aqua culture that was done in conjunction with the Green Revolution.<BR/><BR/>New varieties are being tested by IRRI for introduction to the ASEAN market, the Philippines principally. This is Transgenic rice or Golden Rice developed in laboratories in the US and Canada and brought here for field testing and cross breeding with our local varieties.<BR/><BR/>It's timely that I posted this transgenic rice tonight and then seeing your post. I was returning the favor of your visit earlier. The post will give you a clearer picture, I hope, of what the high yielding variety will do.:-)--Durano, done!durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10432711769928256631noreply@blogger.com