MANILA – Opposition senator Risa Hontiveros
is pushing for faster additional subsidies for rice farmers to help them mitigate
the negative effects of the Rice Tarrification Law.
Hontiveros said that, while the Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice
Tariffication Law brings cheaper commercial rice during lean months, it also
poses risk to local rice farmers.
“Mabilis ang negatibong epekto ng
pagpasok ng murang commercial rice sa
ating mga magsasaka. Dapat lamang na
mabilis din at sapat ang tulong at subsidyo ng pamahalaan para sa kanila,”
Hontiveros said.
She added that, in a computation done by her office, around 42 thousand farming
households will fall into poverty if faster subsidies are not provided for by
the government.
The average loss of the poor and non-poor rice farming households are P8.7
thousand and P19.7 thousand respectively, while the average gain is P5.3
thousand and P3.9 thousand, respectively.
“In short, the savings from cheaper rice consumed by rice farmers could not
offset the loss to the lower price of the palay
they sell,” the opposition senator pointed out.
Hontiveros said that the Rice Tariffication Law provides a Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) which is designed to provide input subsidies to
minimize production cost and increase yield.
The RCEF, however, would have to go through several years of implementation
before improved competitiveness could be achieved. In contrast, the income
shock is immediate.
Hontiveros have also called on the National Food Authority (NFA) to buy the
local farmers’ rice as part of their buffer stock at a relatively competitive
price while they wait for the needed subsidies to be distributed.
“Hinihikayat ko ang NFA na bilhin ang palay ng ating mga lokal na
magsasaka sa darating na anihan sa presyong hindi palugi, habang hinihintay ang paparating na mga
programa ng RCEF at mabigyan ng sapat
na tulong pinansyal ang mga magsasaka,” Hontiveros said./PN
