MANILA, Philippines – A few months after the government began implementing the Rice Tariffication Law in March, the farm gate price of palay instantly went down.
Organic farmer and agrarian reform advocate Jaime Tadeo emphasized that the law hugely affects the prices of hybrid and brown rice.
He said the price of brown rice now ranges from P19 to P23/kg. from what used to be P25 to P30/kg.
“Medyo tinamaan ang magsasaka dahil ang dating napakagandang presyo medyo bumaba iyon, (The farmers were affected because the reasonable price they used to get has suddenly dropped),” Tadeo argued.
The reason for the price drop is because when supply of milled rice increases, the price automatically drops and this affects even the price of palay.
A retailer group, meanwhile, said that the new law may have minimal effect on them but they are more concerned about the farmers’ welfare.
“Meron ngang safety nets ang gobyerno, ang NFA bibili parin ng P20.70/kg. Unfortunately, limited lang yung kanilang source, yung kanilang fund na ibebenta, (Even if the government has safety nets, the NFA still buys [rice from farmers] at P20.70/kg. Unfortunately, their source is limited as well as their funds),” noted Jaime Magbanua President of the Grains Retailers’ Associations of the Philippines (GRECON).
The group estimated that the price of regular milled rice may go down to as low as P30 to P32/kg and the effect of this will be mostly on local farmers.
“Ang presyo ng import hindi lalayo ang pinaka mababa 35 (pesos per kilo). Ang 32 (pesos per kilo) talaga mahihirapan sila halos wala naring kita sila doon, (The price of imported [rice] is not much different, the lowest being P35/kg. But with P32/kg, that’s burden (to farmers) because they earn nothing with that price,)” Tadeo said.
Retailers observed that canteen owners choose imported rice because of its commercial quality.
“Ang imported maalsa kaya mabili, (Imported rice is tastier so it’s more sellable),” said rice retailer Charing Doctor.
Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol once noted that the government needs to strengthen the country’s agriculture sector because rice supply in the global market is already depleting.
But for the farmers, the P10-B fund that the country will receive from tariffication of imported rice is not enough to support and achieve the country’s goal of making the agriculture industry sufficient.
“Napakaliit na lang noon. Kung hindi na mag-export ang Vietnam at Thailand at sila’y sapat na rin, saan tayo kukuha ng ngayon ng bigas? (That’s a small amount. If for instance, Viet Nam and Thailand stop exporting [rice] because they have enough, where else can we get rice?),” Tadeo concluded. – with details from Rey Pelayo
The post Implementation of Rice Tariffication Law burdens local farmers – Stakeholders appeared first on UNTV News.