Imee Marcos says DTI plan to import rice for fast food chains is ‘insensitive’

The government’s plan to import rice on behalf of fast food chains, grocery stores, and small supermarkets, instead of buying local, is insensitive, Senator Imee Marcos said Friday.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez revealed the plan on Wednesday, saying the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) will do the importation.

Marcos is seriously disappointed that a government-owned corporation under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would prioritize imports over local produce at a time when rice farmers nationwide have been selling their harvest at depressed prices or even at a loss.

“The announcement of Secretary Lopez is insensitive and ill-timed. Cheaper imported rice is not worth the breakdown in the livelihood of Filipino rice farmers,” she said.

The DTI chief announced the plan on the sidelines of an international rice conference in Makati City, noting that up to 300 containers could be shipped into the country in the next few months.

“Where is our conscience and what got into the heads of these businessmen who choose foreign goods over our very own at a time of crisis?” Marcos said.

“Have pity on our rice farmers who could hardly make a living. Just drop it!” she added. —VDS, GMA News