Rice farmer Carlito “Ka Carling” Castro dreads the upcoming harvest season. With high prices of farming inputs, coupled with dropping prices of palay or unhusked rice, the 65-year-old farmer from Guimba, Nueva Ecija expects, at most, to just recover the cost of production. For farmers who grow the staple that feeds 110 million Filipinos, laboring just to break even…
TODAY there are 10 million rice farmers in the Philippines. Extrapolating their number of dependents, they constitute a big portion of the over 100 million Filipinos today, and they are in trouble. Not much of their land can be reached by irrigation facilities and rain has not been heavy on lands depending on rain for water. On the…
MANILA, Philippines—The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) on Tuesday urged the House of Representatives to investigate and suspend the implementation of Executive Order No. 135, which President Rodrigo Duterte issued to lower tariffs on rice imports from non-Asean countries. In a letter addressed to Congress, the FFF said reducing rice import tariffs was “totally unjustified.” The President’s EO temporarily…
Since the 1980s a consensus has grown that rent-seeking and restrictive trade and regulatory policies have hindered the Philippine rice sector. Filipino consumers were paying more for a kilogram of rice than any of their ASEAN neighbors, yet farmers in the Philippines remained the poorest sector in the country. There were various efforts by international donors, multilateral agencies, and local…
‘Some [farmers] express that they do not want to see their children following in their footsteps, because they do not want them to suffer the same fate’ Our country is no stranger to crisis. From natural calamities to social and political turbulence, the Philippines consistently ranks among the riskiest countries in the world. Last year, we were subjected…
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) intends to cut tariffs on imported pork and rice for the next 12 months to ease supply constraints and consumer prices. A document obtained by the Inquirer dated Jan. 28 showed that the Philippine Tariff Commission would hear the DA’s proposal on Feb. 4. The DA recommended reducing tariff rates…
An industry group has urged Congress to review the rice tariffication law (RTL) as palay prices continued to drop and are expected to worsen when harvests reach their peak this month and in November. According to the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), the rice policy must make it mandatory for the Department of Agriculture to make use of the…
QUEZON CITY, Philippines – A total of 13 companies signified their interest to join the bidding to be set by the National Food Authority (NFA) for the 500,000 metric tons of rice imports. The NFA has allotted up to P12B fund for the importation and the rice supply is expected to be delivered in the months of December this…
RICE TALKS. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol urges the support of rice traders in ensuring the availability of affordable rice supply in the market during the Food Security Summit held in Iloilo City on Monday (October 8, 2018). (Photo by Perla Lena) ILOILO CITY — The Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines, Inc. (GRECON) has “pledged their support” to bring down the price…
The National Food Authority (NFA) never ceases to deliver its services as it deploys another mobile store today in Bgy. Cobrador, Romblon though its Tagpuan Day Rice Response Delivery (TRRD). Barangay residents were able to buy rice at P27 per kilogram. The program is in coordination with the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines, Inc. (GRECON) of Romblon led by…