CITY OF MALOLOS — A farmers’ association in this city appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to extend the rice importation ban to 120 days instead of 60 days, which will start on the first day of September.
Melencio Domingo, president of the farmers in Barangay Santor, said they are appealing to the President to extend the rice importation ban by another 60 days because 60 days is not enough to allow all farmers to recover and make a better profit this year.
Domingo explained that the towns of Bustos, Pulilan, Plaridel, Calumpit, Malolos, Bulakan, Balagtas, and Bocaue are scheduled to harvest in November right after the implementation of 60-days rice importation ban.
The farmers who will harvest after the rice importation ban will not have a good profit compared to farmers harvesting this September.
Domingo said that they just planted this first week of August to harvest in the months of November to December so they are asking Marcos Jr. to extend the rice importation to 120 days.
He said that the rice import ban will improve the buying price of palay which currently, the National Food Authority has set at P23 per kilo of clean and dry grains.
Domingo hopes that aside from the rice importation ban Marcos Jr. will also increase palay processing facilities to improve the quality of the local rice.
