The Department of Agriculture (DA) is already planning to bring back to market affordable NFA rice that will only be allocated to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
DA Secretary William Dar immediately clarified that there is no need to amend the Rice Tariffication Law to make it happen.
Effective in March 2019, the said law allows the private sector to import rice as long as they obtain a phytosanitary permit and pay a 35-percent tariff for its shipment from neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
With the DA monitoring the price of rice, it will reach P41 per kilo in the main markets in the country.
It will be recalled that the government stopped the supply of NFA rice in late 2019 after President Rodrigo Duterte enacted the Rice Tariffication Law in February 2019.
“Prino-procure ng NFA, ang good for 30 days na kung ‘yun ay magagawa. At ito na ‘yung i-rollover at ibebenta nila through the NFA retailers. Dapat ibalik ‘yun, ang NFA retailers’ group, para magbenta sila ng P27… executive order na lang yun. It needs just additional budget,” he said.
DA plans to return NFA rice to market
(The NFA is still procuring, good for 30 days if that can be done. And this is what they will roll over and sell through the NFA retailers. That, the NFA retailers’ group, must be returned so that they can sell only P27… executive order. It needs just an additional budget.)
“Directed dapat ang NFA rice na P27, or mahigit P28 or P29, mura pa rin ‘yun, sa mga 4Ps…hindi na pwedeng pampubliko,” he added.
(NFA rice should be directed at P27, or more than P28 or P29, it’s still cheap, in 4Ps… it can no longer be made public.)
According to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Karl Kendrick Chua, the campaign promise of leading presidential contender Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reduce retail rice prices to P20 to P30 per kilo is feasible.
“If our support to our rice farmers is very targeted and efficient, then I think that is a possibility,” said Chua, the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary.
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