The rice watch group Bantay Bigas and Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women slammed the government for pursuing the P8-billion G2G o government-to-government rice importation from other Asian countries to supposedly ensure the rice stockpile in the country amid the Covid-19 lockdown. Instead, the groups demanded that the Duterte government to secure the local rice stocks directly from production as concrete measure to stabilization of farm gate and retail prices. They pushed for the National Food Authority (NFA) to procure at least 20% or around 3.8 million metric tons of palay, based from last year’s total production. They added that in this time of pandemic and man-made lockdown, rice liberalization policy as promoted by the Republic Act 11203, shows its catasthropic failure, with the government virtually begging for rice supply from other country, as desperate step for food security.
“Habang deklarado ang State of Public Health Emergency, State of Calamity at nasa krisis ng pandemya ang buong bansa, hindi bumibitaw ang rehimeng Duterte sa pagkakayakap nito sa neoliberalismo at liberalisasyon ng agrikultura. Sa halip na agarang ihanda ang pambansang sektor ng pagkain, suportahan ang mga magsasaka at tiyakin ang daluyan nito mula produksyon tungong sirkulasyon, mabilisan ang paling nito sa importasyon ng 300,000 metriko tonelada para diumano sa pag-istable ng suplay ng bigas sa bansa. Apektado na nga mga magsasaka ngayong lockdown, hahambalusin pa sila ng epekto ng pagbaha ng imported na bigas sa mga susunod na panahon, na alam na nating magpapabagsak sa presyo ng palay at magpapalugi sa kanila, katulad ng naganap noong mga nakaraang taon,” stated by Cathy Estavillo, Bantay Bigas spokesperson and Amihan Secretary-General.
The groups stated that the Filipino rice farmers and poor consumers have suffered double whammy from the impact of rice liberalization and the lockdown declared by Duterte. At present, the farmgate prices of palay ranges from P14 to 19 per kilo – P14 in Bikol, P16-18 in Cagayan province and P19 per kilo in Nueva Ecija, Isabela and Bataan provinces. Groups renewed their call for the NFAs massive procurement of local palay from rice farmers at at least P20 per kilo farm gate price. The agency only procured around 750,000 metric tons of the 18.8 million metric tons of palay produced last year.As the government embraces import-dependent policy, the Department of Agriculture said that the country is expecting the undelivered 1.38 million metric ton (MMT) including the 1.25 MMT from Vietnam who recently stopped its rice exportation contracts to secure their rice supply.
“Kitang kita ang pagkabangkarote ng RA 11203 Rice Liberalization Law, na ang direktang epekto ay pabagsakin ang self-sefficiency at self-reliance ng bansa sa bigas, habang pinasinungalingan ng kongkretong kalagayan ang pangako nitong ito ay magsisiguro ng food security sa bansa. Yung mismong G2G importation ay kabaligtaran ng batas na ito, kaya ibig sabihin, walang itong silbi at dapat lang na ibasura na,” Estavillo ended. ###
