G2G or G2P importation? Any which way rice farmers to end up as losers – SINAG

Farmers group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) on Wednesday said the government policy on rice importation, whether government-to-government (G2G) or through private firms, will hurt local farmers.

"Farmers will lose out in any of the modes of import – G2G or G2P (government-to-private) – if there is no valid reason to import rice," Rosendo So, chairman of SINAG, told GMA News Online.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday agreed with the planned policy shift of the National Food Authority (NFA) Council from G2G to G2P.

"The primary issue at this point is whether there is a need to import, and not on the conflicting statements from members of the NFA Council on the best mode of importation," So emphasized.

He noted the absence of a full report on the volume of harvest as there are areas that are still being harvested.

The NFA argued its rice buffer stock has reached a critical low level of eight days, giving rise to immediately import the commodity.

"If the problem is lack of buffer stock of NFA, the solution is to procure locally, and not to import," So said.

"For the last six years, we have been importing 1.4 million tons of rice on average that is already 10 percent of local production. Have this been accounted?" he said.

So emphasized that there is a need for the NFA to increase its buying price of paddy rice to P20 per kilo to compete with traders.

"The current support price of P17 per kilo was pegged eight years ago," he said.

The average buying price of traders ranges from P18 to P20 per kilo, data from the NFA field monitoring showed.

The government should also raise the budget allocation for the NFA procurement program to at least P10 billion per year, So noted. — VDS, GMA news