SCIENCE CITY OF MUN̈OZ — Rice millers in Nueva Ecija have appealed to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to give them a window period to dispose of their stocks before issuing an executive order that will drastically cut rice prices.
Elizabeth Vana, president of Nueva Ecija Rice Millers Association (NERMA), said the reduction of tariff from the current 35% to 15% will mean P5 to P6 a kilo or P250 to P300 cut from the current P500 a bag in imported grains.
“Wala po kaming hanapbuhay kapag hindi po kayo nagtanim. Naiintindihan po namin yung hirap ng ginagawa po ninyo sa pagsasaka dahil kaming mga rice millers ay mostly magsasaka rin,” Vana told the farmers during the Usapang Bigas: Rice Import Tariff Reduction forum at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) on Tuesday afternoon.
The forum was organized by the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM) headed by lead convenor Rowena Sadicon.
Vana noted the tariff reduction will hit them just how Aurora province is devastated by typhoons during calamities.
“Dahil noong nakaraan pong anihan, alam ko naging masaya lahat ng farmers dahil naibenta niyo ho ang palay ninyo na sariwa ng P25, P30 to P32 ang dry,” she said.
Vana explained that all the 87 members of NERA procure locally produced palay, “At hindi pa po imported ang ibinibenta namin sa market.”
She said they stand to lose P7 to P8 a kilo from the palay which they bought as much as P32 a kilo last May.
A rice mill with a stock of 100,000 bags, she said, would incur minimum losses of P40 million.
Orlando Manuntag, PRISM co-founder, said that losses may affect farmers as rice millers would not be able to buy local produce as much as they did last season.
He made it clear though that PRISM is ready to cooperate with the government in finding “the best solution” in keeping supply and value chain that include seed growers, farmers and rice millers.
Sadicon said they are clueless on when Marcos would issue the EO, praying for at least up to August this year.
