Rep. Michael Romero on Wednesday called for the establishment of what he called a National Strategic Rice Reserve to shield the Philippines from shortages of the cereal.
He made the statement even as rice farmers slammed the National Food Authority for its alleged failure to include small farmers as representatives at the NFA Council, a policy-making body.
At a news conference in Quezon City, Manuel Rosario, leader of the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan, said the NFA had breached a provision in its charter ensuring the council was represented by farmers.
Romero made his proposal as he predicted that the first few years of the implementation of the import tariff for rice would likely be difficult because the expected lower retail prices would take time to sink in.
He said the Philippines would also become vulnerable to the fluctuations in the international market prices of rice.
“Historically, the global rice market is often beset with wild price swings. We must be ready for those swings,” Romero said.
“We must have yin for yang and yang for yin when global prices spike and fall.”
Romero said the National Food Authority must have a National Strategic Rice Reserve that would be continually maintained, drawn from and replenished to make sure the stocks were always new.
This strategic rice reserve was what would shield Filipinos from the international fluctuations of rice prices, Romero said.
“The NFA warehouses would continue to be useful at the local level because they would contain parts of those reserves which will stabilize supplies and prices,” he said.
“I trust that both chambers of Congress will make sure the consolidated version they will ratify before sending the bill to President Duterte will have this role, ample powers and safeguards for transparency, accountability and real-time monitoring.”