Lawmakers are pressed to look into the state of the country’s rice inventory and come up with policy proposals to ensure an “ample and affordable” supply of rice.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte made the call amid fear the country’s buffer stock might not be adequate to last through the lean months after the summer harvest season.
Villafuerte said a congressional inquiry is necessary to help Malacañang determine the actual supply of rice, draw up proactive measures to avert a potential rice shortage and know if there is a need for the National Food Authority to import rice under the minimum access volume during the lean period between July and September.
“Given that rice is the country’s staple food, it behooves the House of Representatives to conduct a public inquiry in aid of legislation into the complete inventory of rice held by the government, private traders and [even the] households,” he said.
Congress could support an immediate importation only if determined necessary “to enable the government to proactively maintain the ideal buffer stock level—equivalent to a 30-day supply of the national daily rice requirement—by the time domestic stocks dwindle during the traditional July-September lean months,” the lawmaker said.
“Considering the time needed for shipment to arrive in the country from day 1 of the negotiations, “now would be the best time for the government to give the green light to such importation, but if, and only if, such action would be deemed warranted in the course of the proposed public hearings on the supply situation,” he said.
“Otherwise, there is absolutely no need for the government to accommodate rice imports if the rice inventory would be found adequate for the remainder of the year as any unnecessary importation would unduly distort domestic supply and depress farm-gate prices of palay to hurt the local farmers.”
Villafuerte said he received information from the NFA’s Camarines Sur provincial manager, Dr. Yolando Navarro, that the province’s buffer stock only totaled 42,293 cavans or 50-kilo bags as of April 30, or an equivalent of a three-days consumption against the province’s daily rice requirement of 13,840 cavans.