Palace says no order yet for DA to stop rice importation

Malacañang on Monday said there is no order yet for the Department of Agriculture to suspend the importation of rice during the harvest season.

“As of this time, there is no order to stop rice importation given to Secretary Dar of the Department of Agriculture,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a message to reporters.

Panelo issued the statement after Duterte said in an exclusive interview with GMA News over the weekend that the Philippines would not import the grain in light of farmers’ concerns about the Rice Tariffication Law that removed quantitative restrictions on importation.

The President said the government must now start purchasing locally produced rice to help farmers whose incomes have been affected after the law took effect earlier this year.In another interview on national television, Duterte apologized to farmers.

“I will ask my office to arrange for a meeting with them [farmers]. If it’s possible to get them to one place so that I will listen and I will resolve the problem,” he said.

The Philippines has surpassed China as the world’s biggest rice importer after it bought 3 million metric tons of rice so far in 2019, according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture.

Manila has disputed the figures, saying only 1.87 million metric tons of rice were imported as of October 23. —VDS, GMA News