THE National Federation of Peasant Women or Amihan and rice watch group Bantay Bigas lambasted the National Food Authority (NFA) over the entry of rice imports in Subic and Albay.
Cathy Estavillo, spokesperson of Bantay Bigas and secretary general of Amihan, said this is a result of the government’s implementation of agricultural liberalization and dependence on importation.
According to her, the government has no control over the source and the production process of palay in other countries, making Filipino consumers uncertain about the quality and susceptible to low-grade products.
The groups issued a statement in response to the 133,000 and 23,000 sacks of imported rice from Thailand discovered at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and in Tabaco, Albay, respectively.
Estavillo added that rice traders might be taking advantage of the government’s desperation for imports to fill up its buffer stocks especially these past few months after news about a shortage in NFA rice surfaced.
“They are making us a dump of low quality rice while foreign businessmen earn. On the other hand, local traders and importers also earn by hoarding imported rice. In the end, it is the consumer who suffers in such importation policy,” Estavillo said.
“Ulimately, this low-grade rice will end up being consumed by poor sectors who can't afford the better but more expensive kind,” she said.
The two groups warned the NFA and the government not to use rice weevil infestation and the lack of supply to justify further importation.
“The government should take concrete action to resolve the root of the rice crisis and stop acting helpless victims and putting the blame onto each other,” Estavillo added.
The groups said that NFA should instead prepare for local palay procurement as harvest season nears.
They also urged the Duterte administration to boost the local production by free land distribution packaged with the provision of sufficient and appropriate support services and subsidies for farmers.