Panelo Says There’s No Order To Stop Rice Importation From Duterte
RICE IMPORTATION – Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo stated that there was no order from President Duterte to suspend rice importation.
Recently, Duterte apologized to Filipino farmers and vowed to suspend rice imports. This was due to the woes of farmers amid falling palay prices.
However, Panelo clarified that there was no clear directive to suspend the imports. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles stated that suspending importation is not that simple.
During an interview with GMA News, the President stated:
In the months of harvest, just buy it. Don’t import too much. Do not allow import, the government will not import. Put it on hold until the produce of local farmers is bought.
He added that the government would incur losses in buying palay to help local farmers. “That’s the only solution”, said Duterte.
According to an article from Inquirer, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) did not take Duterte’s statements at face value. They said that this was because they have been given so many false hopes.
The President made his statements following complaints regarding the effects of the rice tariffication law. This lifted the caps on rice imports, which in turn, lowered the price of rice.
According to recent research from the Philippine Rice Research Institute, local farmers have incurred P62 billion in losses due to the price drop in palay or unhusked rice.
Adding to this, the rice tariffication law reportedly resulted in 4,000 rice mills around the Philippines to shut down. Along with this, 200,000 farmers abandoned their farms 5 months after the law was passed.
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