By Filane M. Cervantes
MANILA, Sept. 4 (PNA) — The reported importation of 2.1 million metric tons (MT) of rice by the National Food Authority (NFA) may pose serious repercussions to local farmers.
“(This over importation of rice) is caused by the incoherent direction in addressing the rice problem with two different agencies running the rice commodity,” said Au Regalado, lead convenor of Rice Watch and Action Network (R1).
According to R1, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is focused more on raising productivity and incomes of farmers, whereas the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agriculture Modernization (OPAFSAM) currently linked to NFA is just looking at the market side of the equation.
“We raised in the Food Staples Committee in the Department of Agriculture our concern for the very high target for importation set by the NFA,” Regalado said.
R1 noted that such rice importation is alarming, considering the increase in rice output in the last season as reported by Philippine Statistics Authority.
Their alarm is doubled by the fact that the NFA’s target importation does not even include the target for Minimum Access Volume (MAV) for the year.
“This over importation of rice would set major drawbacks to local farmers,” Regalado said.
“We all know that oversupply of imported rice will spell the death of livelihood for our local rice farmers. The traders will exploit this situation to drive the farm gate prices of palay (unmilled rice) at its lowest possible rate,” he said.
Regalado further justified R1’s claims by citing reports that “traders cornered the procurement of palay in the last season because NFA focused on rice importation.”
Aside from farmers, the consuming public would also suffer from possible price hikes of rice and other related commodities.
Despite the overstock, prices of rice in the market remain at Php37 to Php45 a kilo. Hence, R1 poses a challenge to the NFA to flood the market to press the prices down so that the consumers will benefit from the oversupply during the lean season.
“A major leap in rice production is (still) possible especially if the government will seriously implement its programs designed to achieve rice self-sufficiency,” said Regalado.
Recently, the NFA was also under scrutiny by lawmakers for excessive rice importation, arguing that it was “highly irregular and doubtful” given the rice self-sufficiency figures.
Last June 1, 2015, DA officials claimed that the country has attained a self-sufficient total rice stock inventory of 3.02 million MT; hence, the need for imported rice this year was questionable, the lawmakers said.
Congressional probing was demanded by Bayan Muna Party-list Representatives Neri J. Colmenares, Carlos and Isagani T. Zarate through the filing of House Resolution 2231.
Zarate said officials of NFA, the Bureau of Customs, and the Food Security Council should be summoned to clarify issues relative to the importation and the country’s rice self-sufficiency.
“Overstocking (of rice) results not only in expiration of these stocks but in potential abuse and supply manipulation as well,” Colmenares said.
Rice Watch and Action Network is a non-government organization (NGO) that focuses on the welfare of small farmers and the improvement of their living conditions. It also promotes a sustainable agriculture aimed at fostering an economically and environmentally viable rice industry. (PNA)