President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night confirmed that he had ordered Agriculture Secretary William Dar to suspend rice importation, as he asked Congress to allocate funds to buy “palay” or unhusked rice from local farmers.
Duterte, who earlier apologized to local rice farmers over the drop of prices of the staple, said he is suspending its importation since it is now “harvest time.”
“If you don’t want problems, buy all the produce of local farmers. If their farm gate [prices] are costly, no problem,” the President said in a press conference, addressing lawmakers.
Congress has approved a measure that allows government agencies to use the remaining ₱6.97-billion rice subsidy fund to buy palay from local farmers.
In February, Duterte signed the Rice Tariffication Law allowing private firms to import rice if they secure permits from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
The law has formed a P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to protect the livelihood of local farmers, but some groups has criticized the measure for bringing in cheap imported rice, which forced many Filipino tillers to sell their produce at lower prices.