Rice imports suspended during harvest season
Credit to Author: Catherine S. Valente, TMT| Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2019 03:20:23 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the suspension of the importation of rice during the country’s harvest season, saying government will buy all the produce of local farmers for the meantime.
In a press conference in Malacañang on Tuesday night, Duterte said there was no other “remedy” to ease the effects of the Rice Tariffication Law, which led to lower farm gate prices of palay.
“Yes. Because it is harvest time,” the President told reporters, when asked if he was ordering Agriculture Secretary William Dar to suspend rice importation.
“What is the other remedy? Nothing. I cannot stop tariffication,” he added.
Republic Act 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.
Farmer groups have called for the law’s amendment or repeal, claiming that they have incurred huge losses from being unable to compete with cheaper imported rice.
Duterte said he would ask Congress to allocate funds to buy palay from local farmers, adding it does not matter if the government would spend billions just to improve their plight.
“Sabihin ko kay Dar and Congress, ‘You appropriate money and we will buy all the rice, farm gate price ng ating (of our) farmers,’” the President said.
“Malugi? Lugi tayo. Pilipino? Malugi. Ilang bilyon? Three billion? Lugi tayo ng three billion. Bakit? Para ang farmers mabuhay. Kaninong gastos? Gastos natin lahat (What if we suffer losses? How many billions? Three billion? Why? So that farmers can live. Who will be spending? Us),” he added.
The President did not say how long his order to suspend rice imports would be in place.
However, Duterte emphasized how the importation of rice was necessary to keep the country’s supply of rice stable.
“Bilihin natin lahat ‘yan tapos dagdagan natin kasi kulang talaga (We will buy all (local farmers’ produce) but we will add because it will not be enough),” Duterte said.
“Mag-import tayo (We will import) as a buffer because their produce will not be enough for the consumers — the 110 million Filipinos eating rice,” he added.
The President also warned that the people may go hungry and resort to riots if there is not enough rice in the country.
“Kung walang pagkain, halos kabahan ang mga tao. Nagra-riot na. Tapos sige na magugutom na ang mga tao, wala ng bigas, next month wala ng kainin. Mahal na (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.
“So mamili ka kung ikaw ang nasa puwesto ko: magutom ‘yung tao o galit ‘yung mga farmers? (You choose if you were in my place: people go hungry or farmers will get angry?),” Duterte added.