AGRICULTURAL lobby group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said the Department of Agriculture (DA) has successfully balanced rice imports that led to good prices for fresh palay harvest this year.
Rosendo So, SINAG chairperson, saidpalay price has improved to P18.50 per kg for wet and P22.00 per kg for dry during the main harvest period this year compared to the P12 per kg for wet and the P17 per kg for dry during the similar period in 2019.
So cited rice importation records of the Bureau of Customs which showed that from January to April 2019, rice imports have reached a total of 1,551,412.44 metric tons (MT) compared to the 765,854.64 MT for the same period this year.
“This shows that the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) which was passed in March 2019, has not in any way increased rice importation as what some critics have feared of its passage. It all boils down to the calibration of rice imports by the Secretary of DA,” So claimed.
He added that since the law was passed, the country has able to collect 35 percent tariffs on rice imports following the lifting of quantitative restrictions (QR).
“Without the RTL, importers can take advantage of importing more rice without paying the tariffs that could lead to the collapse of palay-producing farmers. Importers could challenge that in courts because QRs have already expired,” the official further claimed.
Apart from the tax collection, So said that the RTL has benefitted farmers as the program granted them free certified and good palay seeds, new farm machineries, trainings as well as additional loans.
Likewise, SINAG has countered the forecast of the United States Department of Agriculture claiming that the Philippines is expected to import 3.3 million tons of rice for 2020 to 2021 due to decline in local production and remain as the world’s biggest importer of the grain.
So said that they are expecting for the country to only import about 1.8 million MT for 2020 to 2021 especially since the country needs local farmers to produce more food for domestic consumption.
