Debunking the claims on the "expected rice shortage" in the country next year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured consumers there will be an adequate supply of rice in 2023.
In a press briefing on Monday, Dec. 19, Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban assured that there will be a lot of rice supply in the Philippines.
"There will be a lot of rice in the country. A lot of importations by the private sector, which are not authorized by the department, have been confiscated. And on that aspect, we should not be importing rice up to next year. Probably, first quarter of next year,” he said.
The official of the agriculture department also noted that local producers should not worry about the importation of cheaper rice and goods.
"The President has signed an order last week containing the provisions of 171, and it will be continued up to December 2023," said Panganiban.
"Since we'll be harvesting beginning January, February, March, we shall not be issuing any special permit to import. And on that aspect, I am working with the team of Asec. Layug in order for them to tell us how many confiscations have been made in as far as rice and sugar is concerned," he went on.
The EO 171, signed by then-President Rodrigo R. Duterte, aimed to extend the lower tariffs on pork and rice, as well as cut duties on corn and coal until the end of 2022. Last week, Agriculture and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. approved the recommendation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board to extend the EO which reduced Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff rates on swine meat, corn, rice, and coal until Dec. 31, 2023.
Explaining the reason for the aforementioned extension, Undersecretary for Policy Mercedita Sombilla stressed the need to balance both importation and production.
"We all know that the Department of Agriculture is really trying its best to increase the production, in any product, but because of the challenges we encounter in the country, typhoons, climate change, outside of the country, outside of our control like the increase in prices of fertilizers which affected the production of rice. We have to balance all of these with imports," she noted in broken English.
"We have to balance both importation, as well as production, so that we can stabilize the prices, lower prices," she added.
For instance, she said, at times when typhoons enter the country during harvest season, an occurrence which cannot be controlled, the production will be greatly affected.
"What we don't want to see are people suffering because we will not be able to control the rise of the prices," she emphasized.
"Rest assured that these importations are really just for us to stabilize increase production in order for us to stabilize local prices, and hopefully, to lower them for the benefit of everybody," the official added.