Kinilala ng Federation of Free Farmers ang pagbibigay ng prayoridad ng Department of Agriculture sa sektor ng mga Pilipinong magsasaka ng palay.
Ayon kay FFF National President Leonardo Montemayor, lubha nitong mapapalakas ang kita at katatagan ng mga Pilipinong magsasakang lubhang nalugi matapos umabot ngayong taon sa pinakamababang bentahan na walong piso ang kada kilo ng farmgate price ng palay.
“The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) welcomed the move of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to recommend an increase in rice import tariffs and a temporary halt in imports to protect local farmers.Field reports indicate that prices for freshly harvested palay have gone down to as low as Php 8 per kilo, down 31% from prices a year ago, resulting in an estimated Php 54.5 billion drop in farmers’ incomes during the first six months of the year. The FFF attributed the steep decline to the uncontrolled entry of cheap imports following the government decision in July 2024 to reduce import tariffs to 15%. This led to a supply glut which was exacerbated by the aggressive rollout of the subsidized Php 20 kilo rice program,” ayon sa menshaeng ipinadala ng FFF sa Radyo Veritas.
Bukod sa pagkilala, iminungkahi ng FFF ang pagsasabuhay at paggamit sa Republic Act 8800 o Safeguard Measures Act na magbibigay ng pahintulot sa kalihim ng agrikultura na pangasiwaan ang mga buwis na ipinapatupad sa Pilipinas.
Ito ay upang matulungang makabangon mula sa pagkalugi ang mga magsasaka matapos ang maramihang pagtanggap ng mga imported na suplay ng bigas.
“The FFF explained that changing the tariffs through an Executive Order will have to undergo a lengthy process of consultation and deliberations. Additionally, the EO can be issued only in October when Congress is on recess. The FFF added added that while the option for the President to impose a temporary ban on rice imports is provided under the recent amendment to the Rice Tariffication Law, it may be flagged as a violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules which generally prohibit the reimposition of quantitative import restrictionsm” bahagi pa ng mensahe ng FFF.
