THE Department of Agriculture (DA) may push for a 15-day extension of the rice importation moratorium, after Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. reported initial gains in palay prices since the ban was imposed.
“Pending data validation, I am now inclined to recommend that the President extend the ban for at least 15 to 30 days,” Laurel said.
The two-month rice import ban, ordered by President Marcos, runs from September to October to protect farmers during the peak harvest season.
The DA is set to recommend by month’s end whether to extend or lift the moratorium. Preliminary data show farmgate prices of wet palay have risen in recent weeks.
“Before the import ban, prices of wet palay had fallen to around P8 to P10 per kilo. We are now seeing P17 per kilo in some areas of Mindanao. In provinces like Isabela and Nueva Ecija, prices have risen to P13 to P14 per kilo. Although still below profitability for most farmers, these are improvements,” Tiu Laurel noted.
The cost of producing a kilo of palay averages P14, dropping to P12 for the most efficient growers.
Laurel stressed that the volume of imported rice significantly influences palay prices, which prompted the suspension during harvest.
The DA also reiterated its push to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which liberalized rice imports in 2019. Proposed revisions would restore some regulatory functions to the National Food Authority (NFA), including market intervention and coordination with the DA on import volumes.
Laurel said he is set to meet with Senate agriculture committee chair Senator Francis Pangilinan, House agriculture committee chair Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III to finalize the proposed amendments before submitting them to the President, who has listed the bill as a legislative priority.
He added that changes in Senate and House leadership have not affected the agriculture committee chairmanships, which will be crucial in advancing the RTL amendments.
