PH should not be over dependent on imported rice - Enrile
Published Mar 5, 2019 11:32 am
By Mario Casayuran
Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Tuesday warned against the Philippines being “over dependent” on imported rice, citing it as a concern that could pose a threat to national security.
Juan Ponce Enrile (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Enrlle issued the warning as Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication law takes effect this week.
“We must not accustom our people to rely or become overly dependent on imported rice. We cannot allow other countries to be the supplier of essential item for survival. That’s food. We must produce it here,’’ he said.
“We will only import the deficit between our supply, our domestic supply and those that cannot be answered by that supply or the demand of the people,” he added.
As the new law takes effect, the National Food Authority (NFA) will cease to regulate international and domestic rice trading in view of the removal of importation limits on rice from the international market.
To allay fears that the law will hurt farmers, government officials highlighted that revenue earned from tariffs will go to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), amounting to P10 billion, which seeks to provide better equipment and services to modernize the local rice farming industry.
If elected, Enrile said he would support further studies on the implementation of the law since several sectors would be affected – including consumers and farmers.
According to Enrile, who previously served as Defense Minister and a former top official of the Department of Finance during the Marcos administration, food is the “most basic security item of the country” and rice self-sufficiency will be integral to national security.
The four-term lawmaker has previously stated that investing in research and development in the local rice industry would help protect the four million farmers who will be affected by the Rice Tariffication Law.
“Because we do not have unlimited available lands for rice and corn productions, we should allocate adequate public funds for research and development to increase the productivity of our available rice and corn lands,” Enrile stressed.
Juan Ponce Enrile (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Enrlle issued the warning as Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication law takes effect this week.
“We must not accustom our people to rely or become overly dependent on imported rice. We cannot allow other countries to be the supplier of essential item for survival. That’s food. We must produce it here,’’ he said.
“We will only import the deficit between our supply, our domestic supply and those that cannot be answered by that supply or the demand of the people,” he added.
As the new law takes effect, the National Food Authority (NFA) will cease to regulate international and domestic rice trading in view of the removal of importation limits on rice from the international market.
To allay fears that the law will hurt farmers, government officials highlighted that revenue earned from tariffs will go to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), amounting to P10 billion, which seeks to provide better equipment and services to modernize the local rice farming industry.
If elected, Enrile said he would support further studies on the implementation of the law since several sectors would be affected – including consumers and farmers.
According to Enrile, who previously served as Defense Minister and a former top official of the Department of Finance during the Marcos administration, food is the “most basic security item of the country” and rice self-sufficiency will be integral to national security.
The four-term lawmaker has previously stated that investing in research and development in the local rice industry would help protect the four million farmers who will be affected by the Rice Tariffication Law.
“Because we do not have unlimited available lands for rice and corn productions, we should allocate adequate public funds for research and development to increase the productivity of our available rice and corn lands,” Enrile stressed.