AGRI party-list urges gov’t to focus on rice self-sufficiency, warns against dependence on imports

Rep. Wilbert T. Lee of AGRI party-list group on Friday warned against being overly dependent on rice imports as he said the Philippines
should focus on improving rice self-sufficiency.

“While we thank Vietnam for the assurance that there will be a steady supply of rice to the Philippines, the export policies of other nations are beyond our control and we cannot predict when these will change,” Lee said, citing India as an example where the country decided last month to export rice.

The president of Vietnam’s National Assembly had earlier assured House Speaker Martin Romualdez that Vietnam—which currently supplies 90 percent of Philippine rice imports—will continue to provide the Philippines with a stable supply of rice at affordable prices.

On the other hand, the Indian government last month imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice after retail rice prices climbed three percent in a month after heavy monsoon rains caused significant damage to crops.

“As such, the best solution to shield ourselves from unpredictable export policies is for us to ensure our farmers are fully supported by
our laws, programs, and policies to be able to plant and harvest rice, like the New Agrarian Emancipation Act that was signed into law by
President  Bongbong Marcos last month,” Lee, a principal author of the new law, stressed.

The Bicolano lawmaker argued that food security is a key component of national security, saying inadequate access to food can trigger social
unrest.

“The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization defines food security as existing when all people, at all times, have physical and
economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy
life. When physical and economic access to food is restricted or limited, or if access to food becomes inconsistent or unstable, hindi
magtatagal ay posibleng magkagulo (it won’t be long before possible chaos ensues),” he said.

Farmers’ group Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) previously warned that the retail price of rice will have a P4 per
kilo increase until the mid-September palay harvest as the price of palay continues to rise.

PCAFI said the upward trend in the retail price of grains can be attributed to the high cost of imported rice, particularly in Vietnam,
which could be taking advantage of India’s rice ban to increase the prices of its rice exports.