CLARK FREEPORT — Citing “extreme hardships of farmers,” the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) has urged all sectors nationwide to unite and “make a strong stand” against the Rice Liberalization law and push for its abolition.
“We hold Cynthia Villar and all those who supported and voted in favor of rice liberalization highly-accountable for the current worsening situation of farmers and the local agriculture,” KMP chair Danilo Ramos said yesterday.
Villar was the primary author of Republic Act 11203.
“Six months into the implementation of RA 11203, we have seen the effects of unbridled rice importation. Prices of palay (unhusked rice) produced by farmers plummeted to as low as P7 even in rice-producing towns in Nueva Ecija,” he said.
Ramos cited the consumer watchdog Bantay Bigas as reporting “that average palay prices are now pegged at only P7 to P10 per kilo, which is actually way below the average production cost of P14 per kilo.”
“Even the law’s main author and proponent — Senator Cynthia is baffled at the ‘rice import surge’ caused by rice liberalization. She is even invoking President Duterte to exercise special powers to contain the surge in rice imports. Section 7 of RA 11203 allows the President to increase, reduce, revise or adjust the existing tariff by as much as 100 percent to make imported rice less competitive than homegrown rice,” Ramos noted.
Ramos accused Villar of “practically ramming the Rice Liberalization Law down into farmers’ throats.”
“Now she is acting all flustered by its damaging effects. Pangunahing maysala sa rice liberalization si Senadora Villar. Ang dapat kagyat gawin ng Kongreso at Senado ay ibasura ang RA 11203,” the KMP leader said.
KMP also cited indicators of the declining rice industry as a result of rice liberalization. It noted that from January to June this year, the volume of palay produced by local farmers declined to 8.3M metric tons from 8.7M metric tons produced in the same period last year and that the value of the palay produced also declined to P71.5 billion from P75.4 billion.
The group also reported that the rice trade defi cit increased more than two-folds to P631.2 million from P96.3 million, while government- estimated palay farmgate prices further plunged to P17.88 per kilo from P21.39 per kilo.
“These statistics only show the damage wrought by rice importation and liberation. The actual situation of farmers is far worse,” Ramos said.
