In a casual conversation, those were the words of China's former Premier Deng Xiaoping to a visiting foreign official. It may be hard to believe but that was the situation even long before the current economic prosperity that China is experiencing. It was that way, long before it became a rice exporter- when in vain it was clearing entire forests and converting it to rice lands.

In the Philippines, I once asked a group of medical professionals if they've ever seen anybody die from hunger. They paused for a moment, looked at each other and said, “No, none at all”. Whatever will happen in this country’s rice situation, I don’t think any hunger related death will ever occur. On the contrary, the incidence of hypertension, diabetes and other diseases related to improper diet will continue to become major contributors in the mortality factors of this country.

I agree with the government when it said that there is no rice crisis. Not yet. At this point, all the commercial stores are still well stocked and the NFA is still able to supply all its shelves. There may be instances when daily supplies ran out early but still, it is refilled within reasonable period.

What prompted this rice issue to explode are mainly consumer panic and speculative demand. Everything has been quiet until some sectors came out and called everyone's attention to two government memos alerting the president that some of the country's rice suppliers like China and Vietnam are experiencing low harvests due to crop infestations and will probably be forced to reduce its export commitments to our country. After that news broke out, prices went up and the state of near panic that we have now ensued. To make matters worse, the practice of hoarding seem to have intensified and should the government fail to control this, an artificial rice shortage will occur and the consequences will be dire.

The law of supply and demand states that price goes up or in accordance to movements in supply and demand. As demand increases higher than the supply levels, the prices adjust consequently. With the state of near panic that is present in the economy nowadays, it is but normal for the prices to go up.

Some people are buying more than their daily requirements, fearing that the next day's prices will be higher. Unethical businessmen, on the other hand, are trying to profit from the situation by hoarding stocks while waiting for the prices to go up. Such a situation is resulting to a higher daily demand and unusually low supplies.

There can be no other explanation, other than that. The stores are still selling, the government warehouses still have inventories to supply the people for 57 days, local rice harvests are ongoing and imports are on its way. Should there by shortages this year, it will start during the end months when the economy has exhausted all its local production and supply of imported rice. Definitely, it will not happen during this summer. The prices should therefore remain stable until then. Any increase in price that occurs earlier, is artificial. If the price of rice rises uncontrollably before the real shortage is attained, this country should have attained a state referred to in economics as “Private failure” and following a textbook solution, it will be up to the government to intervene. That's what they are here for.

This article will stop short of discussing the country's supposed solution to the rice crisis and instead talk about the least discussed solution- minimizing rice consumption. In this world, half of the population does not eat rice and yet survives and even lives happily. In fact, the non rice eaters seem to be wealthier. While not intending to become controversial, I dare say that Filipinos can live without rice. It will take some adjustments, since rice is deeply embedded in our traditions and comes with cultural and psychological importance that far outweighs its nutritional benefits, but it is very possible. I, myself, have experienced not eating rice during the first stage of my Atkins diet. I became irritable for a couple of days but after that, I felt good. I lost all excess weight and actually became very healthy. Serious Gym buffs do not eat rice. My neighbor, who once held the Mr. Philippines title, eats sweet potato (Kamote), for more than half a year prior to competition. He doesn't feel week at all. In fact, no street toughie ever dreams of messing with him whenever he is on a potato diet. Another example is a friend's dad who hails from Batanes. Due to the constant typhoons, they cultivate “Kamote” more than rice for it grows under the ground and doesn't get damaged by strong winds and rain. His dad told him, that people in his area only eats rice when they have ran out of sweet potato.

Should rice become scarcer, I will start by reducing its daily consumption. Eventually, I will change to other sources of carbohydrates. A rice shortage should not be a source of fear for as long as food in general is in relative abundance. I will survive without rice, so will all of you.