Bantay Bigas urges Duterte to prosecute rice smugglers

MABALACAT CITY -- The Bantay Bigas advocacy group has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to prosecute rice smugglers after P25-million worth of rice was seized in a warehouse in Calamba, Laguna Friday.

The Bureau of Customs found a total of 10,000 sacks of rice illegally imported from Thailand, Vietnam and China which were about to be repacked and distributed to Oriental Mindoro, Nueva Ecija, Isabela and Palawan.

“President Duterte’s resolve to put an end to rice hoarders, cartels and their protectors will now be tested,” Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo said.

“Duterte should prove his words during his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) and take legal actions against the rice smugglers,” she said.

Bantay Bigas said that the country’s dependence on rice importation only strengthens the operation of rice cartels and smuggling in the country.

Estavillo said that this is already the third time that smuggled rice were seized and yet no one is held accountable for the crime.

“It is easier for smuggled rice to enter the country with a liberalized importation policy as smugglers take advantage of the arrival of rice imports. We expect rice smuggling to worsen if rice tariffication will push through. Under tariffication, more private traders are allowed to import resulting to the flooding of imported rice and making the monitoring of rice imports more difficult,” Estavillo added.

She said that smuggling remains a threat to the local rice industry because it robs off the country from tariff collections and destroys the livelihood of rice farmers as well as local millers and small traders.

According to the research group IBON Foundation, an average of 2.44 million MT smuggled rice entered the country from 2011 to 2014. In 2013, 548, 656 hectares were affected due to smuggling or 12 percent of the area planted with rice with P8 to P10 billion foregone tariff revenues.

The Bantay Bigas reiterated that the government should prioritize the development and strengthen the local rice industry to put an end to smuggling.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph