DA urges ban on 5% broken imported white rice

In a bid to shield local farmers from being lowballed due to cheaper but higher quality foreign rice varieties, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking an "informal ban" on 5% broken imported white rice.

In a chance interview on Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters that he is actively leveraging appealing with industry stakeholders to restrict incoming shipments to lower-grade 25% broken rice, ensuring local produce can compete in the market.

"Ang main reason kaya kinakatay ang ating local production ng imported is because maganda talaga ang kanilang bigas," he said.

(The main reason why the local production is being undermined by imported is because foreign rice quality is better.)

The Agriculture chief said he appealed to stakeholders to bring in nothing better than 25% broken rice ratio to the country, starting this month.

"Kailangan mas pangit ang i-import natin para may laban 'yung ating local rice, while we make our local rice [better]," Tiu Laurel said.

(We need to import lesser quality rice for our local rice to have a fighting chance, while we make our local rice better.)

The Agriculture chief lamented that local millers and farmers simply cannot compete with the heavily subsidized and advanced production capabilities of neighboring exporters like Vietnam.

Tiu Laurel said imported rice undergoes up to four stages of polishing and boasts a strict 5% broken grain ratio.

In contrast, local processing typically undergoes only one round of polishing, resulting in a 25% broken ratio due to higher electricity and logistics costs.

To bridge this gap, Tiu Laurel said he has directed the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to shift its focus toward distributing new seed varieties that yield both high volume and superior quality.

The DA chief's move came as the Tariff Commission (TC) conducts an ongoing probe into potential safeguard measures such as increased tariffs or quantitative restrictions in a bid to prevent last year's crisis, when farmgate prices plummeted to as low as P8 to P12 per kilogram.

Pending the TC's decision, Tiu Laurel said the DA is taking an immediate, "informal action" to stabilize local prices of palay or unmilled rice ahead of the critical mid-September to October harvest peak.

Without explicit regulatory powers to legally block the importation of 5% broken rice varieties outright, the Agriculture chief said the DA is relying heavily on consensus among traders.

"Yes, by pakiusap 'yan (Yes, that is an appeal)," Tiu Laurel said.

"Kasi kung nagme-meeting kami, nandu'n 'yung farmer, nandu'n 'yung miller, nandu'n 'yung importer, trader… In principle, pumayag naman silang lahat," he added.

(When we were having meetings with farmers, millers, importer, traders… In principle, they all agreed.)

Tiu Laurel warned that without this temporary truce, industry players would merely lobby against each other, to the detriment of the entire agricultural sector. — VDV, GMA News