Leap of faith!
FARMERS, STAKEHOLDERS
ACCEPT RICE TARIFF LAW
By Manny Piñol
Secretary of Agriculture
Davao City – With one more forum remaining in the nationwide consultations conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA), farmers and rice industry stakeholders said they are willing to accept the Rice Tariffication and Liberalisation Law to show respect and trust for President Rody Duterte.
“Napirmahan na ng Pangulo ang batas. Tanggap na namin yan. Ang hiling lang po namin, hwag nyo kami pabayaan,” a farmer leader said in the consultation today in Davao City.
(The President has signed the law. We will accept it. Our only wish is for government not to abandon us.)
There were initial reservations by some government officials on the conduct of the Face-to-Face Consultations saying it may agitate the farmers and stakeholders.
The result was a complete contrast as farmers and stakeholders sat and listened attentively for as long as 6 to 7 hours to fully understand the new law.
After airing their fear and apprehensions over the effect of the new law which would open the Philippine market to imported rice, the farmers expressed relief over the assurances made by DA officials that safety nets and support services would be delivered.
The National Economic and Development Authority representative Lenard Guevarra presented the draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) while I gave a report on the Rice Industry Situation in the Philippines and the world supply.
In the first consultation in Munoz, Nueva Ecija for the Northern Luzon Cluster, the farmers were informed that the drop in the buying price of palay was not a result of the Rice Tariffication and Liberalisation Law but speculation by traders.
They were briefed that there is very little risk that imported rice would flood the market because the available rice supply in the world market is thin and any increase in the volume of imported rice would result in a spike in prices.
The DA also assured the farmers that government is ready with interventions to increase their productivity and lower the cost of production thus making them competitive.
The interventions would come from the P10-B Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund and the regular funding for the DA Rice Program.
These include machinery and equipment, seeds and technology training.
They were also informed that the DA has received a Letter of Intent from an Israeli Agricultural Corp to fund and build solar powered irrigation systems to irrigate 500,000 hectares over the next three years.
The DA is also arranging a fertilizer supply agreement between an Eastern European Fertilizer Company and Planters Products Inc. which will be extended to the farmers on credit.
The farmers and rice industry stakeholders in the first three consultations, Munoz, Nueva Ecija for North Luzon Cluster, Lipa City, Batangas for Southern Luzon Cluster and Davao City for Mindanao Cluster, however, asked that the National Food Authority (NFA) be allowed to procure a bigger volume of buffer stocks.
Under the new law, the NFA will become a buffer stocking agency of government tasked to build up rice supplies good for 15 to 30 days.
The farmers said that to protect them from very low buying prices, the NFA should be provided funds to build up a 60-day buffer stock which President Duterte had earlier directed NFA to establish.
At the end of all the sessions in the three venues, the farmers thanked the DA for explaining to them face-to-face the law.
The consultations will have its final staging in Iloilo City tomorrow and the sentiments are expected to be similar to those expressed in the three previous events.
The results of the consultations will be collated by the DA Policy and Planning Office to be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) which handles the drafting of the IRR.
#TiwalaSaPangulo!
#KahangahangangMagsasaka!
(Article taken from the Official Facebook Account of DA Secretary Manny Piñol; Photos by DA-AFID)
