Manila Bulletin
Sen. Risa Hontiveros calls for massive subsidies, palay buying operations to help rice farmers.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros calls for massive subsidies, palay buying operations to help rice farmers.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros calls for massive subsidies, palay buying operations to help rice farmers.
Published Oct 2, 2019 03:18 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday filed a resolution asking the Duterte government to immediately release massive subsidies to help rice farmers cope with the falling prices of palay.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senator Risa Hontiveros / Facebook / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN)
In filing Senate Resolution No. 152, Hontiveros said it is imperative that the Executive branch immediately implement emergency measures to cushion the “economic shock of rice farmers, in light of the crisis of emergency proportions they now face.”
The government, she said, should study as well the implementation of palay-buying operations to provide relief to rice farmers severely affected by falling prices of rice.
“It has since become evident based on government data and testimony from palay farmers themselves that the mismanagement by relevant officials and delayed launch of Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program and safety nets for farmers has meant that things will become far worse for our rice farmers before they become better,” Hontiveros said.
She said the government should prioritize the release of the remaining funds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) in the 2019 national budget and the 2019 rice import tariff revenues.
The RCEF is estimated to be between P3.5-billion and P6.5-billion and is supposed to be distributed as direct cash assistance for poor rice farmers all over the country.
“With nearly half of rice farmers – or nearly 400,000 out of 987,000 rice farming households - nationwide considered poor, the government must allocate at least P5-billion per year as income support for the farmers and their families,” Hontiveros suggested.
Until the said cash grants are issued, the senator also said that government must study and initiate palay buying operations where government via the National Food Authority (NFA) will buy palay stocks from farmers using available funds, to “ensure recovery of the average production cost by farmers in each province.
The government should also consider imposing safeguard duties of up to 80 percent additional tariffs on rice imports exceeding the minimum access volume, on top of present tariffs for rice imports, to control the influx of imported rice.
She said the entry of imported rice primarily caused the sharp decline in the prices of rice in the market.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senator Risa Hontiveros / Facebook / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN)
In filing Senate Resolution No. 152, Hontiveros said it is imperative that the Executive branch immediately implement emergency measures to cushion the “economic shock of rice farmers, in light of the crisis of emergency proportions they now face.”
The government, she said, should study as well the implementation of palay-buying operations to provide relief to rice farmers severely affected by falling prices of rice.
“It has since become evident based on government data and testimony from palay farmers themselves that the mismanagement by relevant officials and delayed launch of Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program and safety nets for farmers has meant that things will become far worse for our rice farmers before they become better,” Hontiveros said.
She said the government should prioritize the release of the remaining funds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) in the 2019 national budget and the 2019 rice import tariff revenues.
The RCEF is estimated to be between P3.5-billion and P6.5-billion and is supposed to be distributed as direct cash assistance for poor rice farmers all over the country.
“With nearly half of rice farmers – or nearly 400,000 out of 987,000 rice farming households - nationwide considered poor, the government must allocate at least P5-billion per year as income support for the farmers and their families,” Hontiveros suggested.
Until the said cash grants are issued, the senator also said that government must study and initiate palay buying operations where government via the National Food Authority (NFA) will buy palay stocks from farmers using available funds, to “ensure recovery of the average production cost by farmers in each province.
The government should also consider imposing safeguard duties of up to 80 percent additional tariffs on rice imports exceeding the minimum access volume, on top of present tariffs for rice imports, to control the influx of imported rice.
She said the entry of imported rice primarily caused the sharp decline in the prices of rice in the market.