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MONDAY February rs,2ors I &S

'Tariffication may lead to oversupply of rice'

FORMER Senate president Juan the rice tariffication law and relates tariffs, " he said. comprehensive rural development,
Ponce Enrile on Sunday warned lthe tadffE to the reasonable price "Now anlthing above that mini- agrarian refonn and righs offarrners
that implementation of the rice of the commodity in the country " mum access volume should not and farm workers," he said.
tarifEcation law mightlead to "over The Philippine Institute for be allowed to come in if we have The lawmaker said the law might
supply" of the staple tliat could Development Studies has projected suffi cient supply. Without suf6cient result in the displacement of farm-
affect local farmers. a 29-percent decline in income supply, we can allow it to come in ers, farm workers and small traders.
The senator, who is seeking a once the rice tariffication law is but we can subject it to tariffs. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng
comeback to the Senate issued the implemented. "Tlie people will be hufi in rhe Pilipinas (KMP) said the law
warning a day after President Ro "lfanybody can bring and supply domestic market when you bring too wouid directiy affecr 13.5 million
drigo Duterte signed the rice tariff thatcommodity, our farmers would much cornmodity from the outside palay farmers and their families,
bill into law. suffer losses and prices would go and you deprive them of the source 17.5 million farm workers, and
The new law seeks to liberalize rice down because you plant more than of livelihbod, " he explained. more than 10 million Filipinos
importation by replacing quantita- whatis neededto cover the demand dependent on NFA rice.
tive import restdctions with tariffs. lt and that should be the standard Repeal it KMP chairman Danilo Ramos
prevents the Natonal Food Authority of the taiiff you need to enforce," .said the tariff law signified "the
(NFA) ftorn monopolizing the rice Enrile said, Shring Enrile's concerns, Anakpawis beginning of the end of the local
imponation because prjvate sectors Rice importers, he ad ded, party-list Rep, Ariel Casjlao has rice industry"
will be allowed to import the grain. should be made to strictly follow vowed to file a bill that would repeal House Speaker Cloria Macapagal
The tariff is mandated at 35 the requirements for agricultural the tariffication Law Anoyo, however, said the ricetariffi-
percent for rice from members of and food safety to ensure the
"l refuse to accept that Filipinos cation law would hel;i ease inflation,
the Association of Southeast Asian protection of local.farmers and will rely on rice coming fiom as Arroyo, one of the authors of the
Natidns (Asean) and 50 percent for , the agriculture sector. IaI as l,4bl Of 2,,165 krlometers. to rice tariff bill, had actively pushed
nqn-Asean countries. He proposed that a "minimum be freighted 907 or 1,418 naudcal foritspassage. Duterte signed it into
,, "When you bring in too much access volume" be imposed abovq miles, which is torally contrary to Iaw on Friday, February 15.
commodity from the outside, you which higher tariffs lvould be imple- food security," the lawmaker said. "Now we can focus on its proper
deprive local farmers oftheir source mented. "Relying on other countries for implementation so that everyone
oflivelihood, sowe should beusing "We agree that we will allow a so- food is not food security, and will can and should benefit from the
tariffs to protect thern," En le said. called minimum access volurne for a threaten improved quality life for all, law" Arroyo said.
"Farmers will not incur losses if productlike rice to be er?oned from thebasichuman right to food, aself, BERNADETTE E, TAMAYO
[the government] only adheres to other countries at avery low level of reliant and independent economy, AND GtEE JALEA

" p4q-e -Ai3"