Farmers air concern over P10-billion rice fund

MANILA, Philippines — Women farmers yesterday raised concern on the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which consists of all duties collected from the importation of rice under the proposed Rice Tariffication bill.

“It does not guarantee that it can suffice the needs of the farmers who will be affected by the massive importation,” Zenaida Soriano, chair of National Federation of Peasant Women or Amihan, said, referring to the fund.

She said the fund does not guarantee that small rice farmers would benefit from it as government projects require land ownership.

Soriano said the fund’s tedious requirements also make it inaccessible to landless and small-scale farmers.

“Farmers have long been victims of corruption,” Soriano added.

The group said that rice tariffication would result in bankruptcy and destruction of the farmers’ livelihood.

“The passage of this proposed bill would mean that Congress will be the graveyard of the farmers and of the local rice industry,” the group said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo said that government officials are presenting rice tariffication as a panacea against inflation, unaffordable rice prices, smuggling, rice cartel, high cost of production and backward agriculture.

Estavillo said rice farmers and consumers have been suffering from the effects of the influx of imported rice since the country’s entry to the World Trade Organization.

The group cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority from January to mid-July showing that the average price of regular milled rice increased 28 times.

It said the affordable P27-per-kilo regular milled rice and the P32-per-kilo well-milled rice of the National Food Authority are disappearing.

“And whenever these affordable rice are available, poor consumers are limited to two to five kilos. These are manifestations of neo-liberal policies such as importation and deteriorating food security in the country,” the group said.