THE labor sector in Negros Occidental is opposing the move of the government to import more rice to lower down prices in the country.
Wennie Sancho, secretary-general of the General Alliance of Workers Association (Gawa), said rice importation will kill the rice farmers if prices would be too low and that many would prefer not to plant rice anymore.
Instead of rice importation, Sancho said that government should give subsidy to rice farmers like what the governments of Vietnam and China are doing to sustain the production of our staple food and for the farmers to survive.
The National Food Authority (NFA) Council approved the standby importation of one million metric tons (MT) of rice for 2019.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who now serves as the NFA Council head, also announced the entry of an additional 750,000 MT of rice imports for this year.
The move aims to tame the soaring prices of commercial rice in the market.
It is also a stern warning for rice hoarders, according to Piñol. (TDE)