SENATE President Francis “Chiz” Escudero yesterday threw his support to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) plan to declare a national food security emergency to bring down the price of rice in the country.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced last week that the DA is mulling the declaration of a food security emergency for rice today, Tuesday.
The move, which was recommended by the National Price Coordinating Council, would allow the National Food Authority (NFA) to release its rice stocks, currently at 300,000 metric tons or six million bags, for resale at below-market prices through local government units and Kadiwa stores.
Escudero said he fully supports the DA plan.
“I support the planned declaration of Secretary Laurel. We must do everything we can to lower the price of rice which, to a large extent, is responsible for a big chunk of our inflation numbers,” Escudero told reporters.
“‘If the concerns of the FFF (Federation of Free Farmers) are indeed proven correct, I am sure the DA can make the corresponding adjustments to rectify its unintended ill-effect, if any,” he said, referring to the concerns raised by the farmers group that the DA plan will affect the earnings of local rice growers.
Senate Minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III said selling the NFA rice stock is better than having these rot.
“NFA is there to buy rice from local farmers and NFA should make sure to buy at a reasonable, fair and profitable price for the Filipino farmers. Quality price over quantity of rice. That is the rule that NFA should follow in its rice acquisition program”, Pimentel said.
Once the emergency declaration is made, Laurel said NFA buffer stocks will be sold to LGUs and government agencies at P36 per kilogram of rice and P38 per kilo to customers.