DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH NEWS
Rice...from page 7 year, and the citizens of Myanmar eat as much as 213 kilos of rice per capita per year. For sure, many Filipinos will find the statistics on rice consumption as shown in Table 1 difficult to accept. It seems that the anecdote on the ricegorging Filipino is an enduring story. Yet the statistics are clear. These statistics were gathered from official government sources. The methods in gathering the data and estimating rice consumption are consistent with techniques introduced across Asia by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Statistical Center for Asia and the Pacific.
Deepening hunger and malnutrition Even more telling than data on consumption are recent findings from nutrition surveys. The nutritional status of children is tracked by the National Nutrition Surveys (NNS) of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). These
Table 1. Per Capita Consumption of Rice, Selected Asian Countries, Kilos per year Country
Bangladesh Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Thailand Vietnam
Rice Consumption Kilos/head/year 150 169 149 172 92 213 95 109 165
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surveys indicate that the incidence of child malnutrition in the Philippines has been quite high and even worsened between 1993 and 1998.
economic policies and invested heavily in their agriculture and rural sectors. If Filipino households had access to rice at the same prices as do Vietnamese or Thai households, the Filipinos' well-being would improve significantly.
In 1993, some 8.4 percent of all children aged 0-6 years were underweight, 5.6 percent had stunted growth, and 6.2 percent were wasted. However, For illustrative purposes, a Filithe 1998 NNS found that 9.3 percent of pino household of six (two adults and all children aged 0-5 years are under- four children) consumes 570 kilos of weight and 7.2 percent are wasted5 (Table 2). Table 2. Child Malnutrition, Philippines, 1993 and 1998 (In percent). A principal cause of malnutrition is low calorie 1993 1998 intake. Even as early as (0-6 Years) (0-5 Years) 1993, it was already determined that in general, FiliUnderweight 8.4 9.3 pinos had access to only 88 Stunted 5.6 na percent of their recomWasted 6.2 7.2 mended daily allowance (RDA) in caloric intake. The basic source of Source: National Nutrition Surveys calories in the Filipino diet is rice. Thus, low calorie intake is asso- rice per year. At the prevailing Philipciated with low rice consumption. In pine prices, this translates into a rice the last 10 years, domestic rice retail expenditure budget for the Filipino prices have relatively increased rapidly, family of about P10,000 per year. Howundoubtedly leading to reduced con- ever, at Vietnamese prices, the budget sumption, especially among the less required is only P3,100, implying a savable family members. ings of P6,900 per year. Such savings can be allocated to more rice or more Certainly, the high prices of rice food in general. have contributed to low levels of consumption of rice and to the consequent worsening of nutritional status, espe- Strong governance to end hunger cially among the very young. Expensive rice, farmers who have remained poor, suffering consumers, Welfare losses more malnourished kids—these are the due to high rice prices long-term results of continuing neglect A distinguishing feature of conof the agricultural and rural sector. Such temporary Thai and Vietnamese cost of neglect started in the early 1980s. While living is very cheap food relative to the Philippines. This has become increas- efforts have been exerted to remedy the ingly evident since the 1980s as Vietnam sector’s ills since then, most programs and Thailand adopted market-oriented fell short due to inadequate funding or political discontinuity. Alex N. Herrin and Ernesto M. Pernia. 2000. Population Growth, Human Resources and Employment in the Philippines.
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Source: RiceFactsIndex (www.riceweb.org).
July - August 2001
The present administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is on the right track as it mandates the