While the Rice Liberalization Law spelled doom for Filipino rice farmers, the measure led to a significant boom in the rice importation business, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said.
Brosas said the number of import clearances issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry surged by 160 percent in 2019, from just 1,705 in 2018 to 4,513 in 2019.
The actual figure could be higher since importers who smuggle rice were not accounted for.
“Rice liberalization law, which marks its first year today, made rice importers happier and rice farmers poorer. Kumikitang kabuhayan ang importasyon ng bigas habang sadsad ang kabuhayan ng ating mga magsasaka at manggagawang nakasandig sa lokal na produksyon ng bigas,” Brosas said.
“The surge in rice import clearances alone indicate that rice importation has been a very lucrative area for businesses. If anything, the law appears to be Duterte’s sweetheart deal for rice importers,” she added.
The top 10 rice importers in the country today include Arvin International Marketing, Davao San Ei Trading, and Puregold Price Club, Inc. This is based on the list obtained by Gabriela Women’s Party from the Department of Agriculture.
Total volume of imported rice also soared by 60 percent to 2.245 million metric tons, of which 1.8 million metric tons were recorded since the Rice Liberalization Law was enacted.
“We are literally flooded with rice imports with no regulation at all except for the sanitary and phytosanitary clearances. This is alarming since external crisis situations would leave us with no rice to eat for being too dependent on importation” Brosas said.
“Halimbawa, nagkaroon ng matinding pest infestation sa Vietnam na top rice source natin o di kaya’y magkaroon ng gera. Tiyak na instant ang magiging krisis sa bigas, tapos wala nang pipilahang NFA rice dahil inalis na ito sa ilalim ng batas,” she added.
Brosas is the principal author of HB 476 seeking the repeal of the Rice Liberalization Law, as well as HB 477 or the Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA) which will ensure the country’s rice self-sufficiency.
The same sentiment was expressed by militant leader and former Anakpawis Party-list representative Ariel Casilao said that Republic Act 11203, “undermined food security and worsened import-dependence.”
President Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11203, removing quantitative restrictions on rice imports supposedly to curb the increases in prices of rice in the market.
Consequently, the Philippines was declared in the latter part of 2019 as the top global rice importer based on a report of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The said law, however, is taking a toll on local farmers, Casilao said in a statement.
“Liberalization is a historical scourge to Filipino peasants. Since the country’s entry to the World Trade Organization and [the] influx of imported rice, farmers have been its usual victims,” Casilao said.
RA No. 11203 is “An Act Liberalizing the Importation, Exportation and Trading of Rice, Lifting for the Purpose the Quantitative Import Restriction on Rice, and For Other Purposes.”
The measure amends Section 2 of Republic Act (R. A.) No. 8178. , to read as follows:
“Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to ensure food security and to make the country’s agricultural sector viable, efficient and globally competitive. The State adopts the use of tariffs m lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products.
Last year, Anakpawis, rice watchdog Bantay Bigas, and Amihan Federation of Peasant Women submitted to House of Representatives a petition with 50,000 signatures gathered across the country for the repeal of the measure.
Bantay Bigas said that they are aiming another batch of 100,000 signatures by March.
Members of the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives have also filed a bill seeking the repeal of RA 11203.