Aim for rice self-sufficiency

The rice problem—rising prices and shortage of supply—is a concern not only confined to the Philippines. It is actually a global phenomenon considering that rice feeds more than half of the world.

In fact the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development said that high prices of rice may cause global social unrest.

In the Philippines, President Marcos moved to arrest the rising cost of rice by imposing a price cap in September 2023. It was lifted a month later when rice prices stabilized.

As a continuing effort to address the problem, the President certified as urgent Senate Bill No. 2432 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.

Acting with dispatch, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading on Sept. 27 its own version of the bill—the proposed Anti Agri-Fishery Commodities and Tobacco Economic Sabotage Act—seen as a measure to give more teeth to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act (Republic Act No.10845).

Under the Senate measure, economic sabotage in agriculture is defined as any act or activity that disrupts the economy by creating artificial shortage, promoting excessive importation, manipulating prices and supply, evading payment or underpayment of tariffs and customs duties, threatening local production and food security, gaining excessive or exorbitant profits by exploiting situations, creating scarcity, and entering into agreements that defeat fair competition to the prejudice of the public.

Violators face life imprisonment and a fine thrice the value of the agricultural and fishery products subject of the crime as economic sabotage. If the offender is a government officer or employee he or she may suffer perpetual disqualification from holding public office, exercising the right to vote, and participating in any public election, and forfeiture of employment monetary and financial benefits in addition to life imprisonment and the fine.

And just last week, President Marcos called on the public to help the government in the battle against rice smugglers and hoarders.

“I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to take part in the fight against smuggling and hoarding, and syndicates who keep on exploiting our countrymen,” the President said while distributing rice to beneficiaries at the Augusto Legaspi Memorial Sports and Cultural Center in Kalibo, Aklan. “Help our agencies to catch and punish those who are sabotaging the agricultural sector and our economy.”

The call underscores the magnitude of the rice problem—the urgency of a whole-of-nation approach to address it.  These moves are steps in the right direction.

But apart from these punitive measures, the government should find ways to improve rice production.

We should aim for rice self-sufficiency to cushion the impact of any outside force—lack of imported supply, smuggling, hoarding, and other factors.

While the country has lost a vast expanse of our farmlands to commercial purposes, there are still areas ready to be tapped for rice production.

The government could start with extending financial assistance and other incentives to our farmers to bring them back to rice farming. We can’t encourage them to continue rice farming if they keep on losing. They need a modest profit to enable them to have food on the table for their families and live a decent life.

Our rice farmers need government support. Let’s give it to them.

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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph