The working draft for the five-year rice deal between the Philippines and Vietnam is nearly finished, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Tuesday.

Laurel Jr. said the agreement guarantees a stable rice supply from Vietnam to the country, even during calamities, bolstering food security for Filipinos.

The Department of Agriculture, he said, has the working draft that is nearly finished, noting that it is ready to be signed by Vietnam at the end of the month during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to that country.

“We were given instructions, when we were at the ASEAN meeting in Japan, by the President to draft and finalize the memorandum of agreement with Vietnam so that when his trip comes at the end of January, it will be signed,’’ Laurel said.

Marcos had a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia in September last year.

The two countries finalized a five-year rice trade agreement as a proactive measure to ensure the Philippines’ food security, especially with a possible rice crisis brought about by the anticipated intense El Niño phenomenon early this year.

“From what I understand, there was no real agreement in that Indonesian meeting, but there was an agreement to draft a memorandum of agreement or memorandum of understanding,” Laurel said in a Palace press briefing.

Data showed that Vietnam ranked third as the world’s biggest rice exporter last year, and the Philippines was its largest client. The former was estimated to have exported 6,800 metric tons.

The top rice exporting country was India, which exported 21,500 metric tons, followed by Thailand with 8,200 metric tons.

Galunggong prices

Meanwhile, Filipinos can anticipate a much-needed respite from sky-high galunggong (mackerel scad) prices after Laurel assured a decrease in prices starting in March as the fishing season reopens on 31 January.

Laurel predicted a significant drop by March — the peak season for catching galunggong — as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said the fishing season in Northern Palawan will end later this month.

The BFAR said last year that the fishing ban, which started on 1 November, was to protect the galunggong during its peak spawning season.

“The actual season for mackerel catching in the Philippines is March, April, May and June,” he said, noting that although the fishing season officially ends this month, the catch remained low.

and VA Angeles