Rice importation suspended
Published Nov 19, 2019 12:00 am
By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte has ordered the suspension of the importation of rice during the country's harvest season, saying the produce of local farmers should be purchased for the meantime.
The President said he would ask Congress to allocate funds to buy palay from local farmers, adding it does not matter if the government will spend billions just to improve their plight.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a press conference at the Malacañan Palace on November 19, 2019. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Duterte issued the directive after farmers complained about the drop in palay prices as the rice tarrification law paved the way for the entry of cheap rice imports into the country.
“Yes. Because it is harvest time," the President said during a press conference in Malacañang late Tuesday night, when asked if he was ordering Agriculture Secretary William Dar to suspend rice importation.
“Sabihin ko kay Dar and Congress, 'You appropriate money and we will buy all the rice, farm gate price ng ating farmers’,” he said.
Duterte maintained that the government is ready to lose money in order to uplift the conditions of farmers.
“Kung gusto talaga natin walang problema, bilihin lahat ng produce ng producer – farmers. Bilihin. Ngayon, mahal farm gate nila. Babawi sila. Hindi na bale. Gagastos tayo bilyon? Bilihin natin. Tapos wala, palugi tayo para 'yung mga farmers may resulta sa pawis nila ,” he added.
“Ilang bilyon? Three billion? Lugi tayo ng three billion. Bakit? Para ang farmers mabuhay. Kaninong gastos? Gastos natin lahat ,” he added.
As soon as the harvest season ends, the President conceded that rice importation must continue to boost the country's buffer stocks. He said local rice production was not enough to meet the needs of the country's growing population.
“Bilihin natin lahat 'yan tapos dagdagan natin kasi kulang talaga ,” he said.
Duterte, however, made clear he could not stop the implementation of the rice tariffication law since it is considered a safeguard against corruption.
Republic Act No. 11203, signed by the President early this year, lifts the import limit on rice and instead imposes tariffs on the staple. The law aims to boost the supply of rice in the country but local farmers are reportedly hurting from the influx of the cheap staple.
“Mag-import tayo as a buffer because their produce will not be enough for the consumers – the 110 million Filipinos eating rice,” Duterte said.
He also warned that the people might go hungry and resort to riots if there is not enough rice in the country. He noted that he has asked the agriculture department to ensure the rice warehouses are filled to the roof.
“If there is no food, people will worry and will launch riots. Then, people will go hungry, there's no more rice. By next month, they won't have anything to eat. It's expensive,” he said.
“You choose if you were in my place: people go hungry or farmers will get angry?” he added.
Meanwhile, a farm lobby group said the Philippines, which is poised to become the world’s largest rice importer by the end of this year, may end up not having enough rice in the future because of the negative impact that unimpeded rice importation had so far caused the local palay production.
“In the long run, we call on government to review its policy of ensuring rice supply through imports. It is important to understand that only less than 10 percent of the global rice supply is tradeable,” lobby group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that so far for this year, as much as 2.9 million metric tons (MT) of imported rice already entered the Philippines, a record breaking for the country. This also made the Philippines the world’s top rice importer, beating China.
Of this, 1.8 million MT of rice were imported in the span of eight months or since the passage of Rice Tariffication Law, which allowed the unimpeded rice importation in the Philippines.
“With the floods and drought hitting rice producing areas in Vietnam and India plus the increasing domestic rice demand in China, we may end up not having rice in the future,” SINAG chair Rosendo So said. (With a report from Madelaine B. Miraflor)
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a press conference at the Malacañan Palace on November 19, 2019. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Duterte issued the directive after farmers complained about the drop in palay prices as the rice tarrification law paved the way for the entry of cheap rice imports into the country.
“Yes. Because it is harvest time," the President said during a press conference in Malacañang late Tuesday night, when asked if he was ordering Agriculture Secretary William Dar to suspend rice importation.
“Sabihin ko kay Dar and Congress, 'You appropriate money and we will buy all the rice, farm gate price ng ating farmers’,” he said.
Duterte maintained that the government is ready to lose money in order to uplift the conditions of farmers.
“Kung gusto talaga natin walang problema, bilihin lahat ng produce ng producer – farmers. Bilihin. Ngayon, mahal farm gate nila. Babawi sila. Hindi na bale. Gagastos tayo bilyon? Bilihin natin. Tapos wala, palugi tayo para 'yung mga farmers may resulta sa pawis nila ,” he added.
“Ilang bilyon? Three billion? Lugi tayo ng three billion. Bakit? Para ang farmers mabuhay. Kaninong gastos? Gastos natin lahat ,” he added.
As soon as the harvest season ends, the President conceded that rice importation must continue to boost the country's buffer stocks. He said local rice production was not enough to meet the needs of the country's growing population.
“Bilihin natin lahat 'yan tapos dagdagan natin kasi kulang talaga ,” he said.
Duterte, however, made clear he could not stop the implementation of the rice tariffication law since it is considered a safeguard against corruption.
Republic Act No. 11203, signed by the President early this year, lifts the import limit on rice and instead imposes tariffs on the staple. The law aims to boost the supply of rice in the country but local farmers are reportedly hurting from the influx of the cheap staple.
“Mag-import tayo as a buffer because their produce will not be enough for the consumers – the 110 million Filipinos eating rice,” Duterte said.
He also warned that the people might go hungry and resort to riots if there is not enough rice in the country. He noted that he has asked the agriculture department to ensure the rice warehouses are filled to the roof.
“If there is no food, people will worry and will launch riots. Then, people will go hungry, there's no more rice. By next month, they won't have anything to eat. It's expensive,” he said.
“You choose if you were in my place: people go hungry or farmers will get angry?” he added.
Meanwhile, a farm lobby group said the Philippines, which is poised to become the world’s largest rice importer by the end of this year, may end up not having enough rice in the future because of the negative impact that unimpeded rice importation had so far caused the local palay production.
“In the long run, we call on government to review its policy of ensuring rice supply through imports. It is important to understand that only less than 10 percent of the global rice supply is tradeable,” lobby group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that so far for this year, as much as 2.9 million metric tons (MT) of imported rice already entered the Philippines, a record breaking for the country. This also made the Philippines the world’s top rice importer, beating China.
Of this, 1.8 million MT of rice were imported in the span of eight months or since the passage of Rice Tariffication Law, which allowed the unimpeded rice importation in the Philippines.
“With the floods and drought hitting rice producing areas in Vietnam and India plus the increasing domestic rice demand in China, we may end up not having rice in the future,” SINAG chair Rosendo So said. (With a report from Madelaine B. Miraflor)