THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is prioritizing the movement of the containers of nearly half a million sacks of rice that remained uncollected at the Manila International Container Terminal, and served a warning that the concerned importers might be held liable for hoarding.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said some rice importers might be deliberately holding their shipments at the ports while waiting for rice prices to go up.
DA spokesman Arnel De Mesa cited the PPA for promptly addressing the issue.
He said some importers have even kept their shipments at the ports for nine months, adding that such schemes might be tantamount to hoarding which could upset the country’s food value chain.
He said that rice importations are timed and should not coincide with the local harvest season.
De Mesa also said Bureau of Plant Industry personnel were poised to open some of the unclaimed container vans on Friday to check on the condition of the cereals amid concerns about its quality after long storage.
The DA earlier said port congestion was partly to blame for keeping rice prices high as imports were not immediately released to the market. The PPA however, said there was no congestion in the ports it oversees, and that some importers were deliberately keeping their shipments stocked in the ports instead of withdrawing them.
