Lack of agricultural lands to till root of rice crisis, says group

Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo slammed on Monday the recent enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law and said that its P10-billion provision would not resolve the root cause of the rice crisis, which is the farmers' lack of agricultural lands to till.

"Ang dami-dami na nilang pangako sa mga magsasaka pero sa realidad, ay itong mga pondo pa ng magsasaka ang talagang ginagatasan o kinukurakot ng gobyerno," Estavillo said in an interview on GMA News TV's "Balitanghali."

"Ang talagang ugat ng kakapusan sa bigas ay hindi tinutugunan nitong P10 billion... 'yung kawalan ng lupa ng mga magsasaka, wala 'yan dyan sa P10 billion na 'yan," she said.

Estavillo was referring to the P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, of which P5 billion will be allotted to farm mechanization, P3 billion to seedlings, and P1 billion to expanded rice credit assistance.  The amount would be sourced from the tariffs.

Under the newly-signed law, quantitative restrictions on rice imports in the country will be removed and a 35-percent tariff will be imposed on rice from the country's neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Estavillo claimed that land-use conversion of agricultural lands has also been made easier under the Duterte administration.

"Mabilis na mabilis. Noong last year lang, mga October, kaharap namin ang NIA, at sinabi niya na umabot ng P163,000 hectares na irrigated land ang napapalitan at mas titindi 'yan dito sa inilabas ng rehimeng Duterte na Executive Order number 1 series of 2019," she said.

Further, the group expects that the measure would worsen the rice cartels and smuggling in the country, with the National Food Authority stripped off its regulatory power on rice imports.

Estavillo said that Anakpawis party-list which she also represents will move to repeal the Rice Tarrification Law. —Dona Magsino/ LDF, GMA News