TH Department of Agriculture (DA) rejected a proposal for government to implement a price freeze on basic commodities including rice for the duration of the El Nino phenomenon, saying that the measure could do more harm than good.
DA spokesperson. Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa. on Friday, May 3, said only several areas in the country have declared a state of calamity due to El Niño.
“Normally nagkakaroon ng price freeze kapag nagkaroon ng declaration ng state of emergency. Doon naman sa mga lugar na very specific na mayroon talagang tinamaan, kasi hindi naman buong bansa ay mayroong apektado ng El Niño – makita natin mostly iyong western section ng ating bansa ang naapektuhan. At kaniya-kaniya, iyong mga apektadong lugar na ito ay nagkaroon na ng declaration ng state of emergency,” the official explained.
He added: “So, kung idadamay iyong buong bansa na hindi naman apektado ng El Niño, baka magkaroon ng problema doon sa ibang area,” he added.
According to the DA, agricultural damage brought by El Niño has already reached almost P6 billion, with more than 80,000 Filipino farmers affected.
“Ang pinakamalaki rito iyong ating mga magsasaka ng palay – more than 60,000 na; at iyong naapektuhan na sakahan naman lalo na rito sa palayan ay umabot ng 58,000 hectares na,” De Mesa said.
The area, however, is still small compared to the effects of the worst El Niño in Philippine history experienced from 1997 to 1998, where 370,000 hectares were affected.
De Mesa, meanwhile, said that the DA is supportive of calls to amend the Rice Tariffication Law to allow the National Food Authority to sell cheaper rice.
House Speaker Romualdez said in an earlier interview that they are eyeing the proposed amendment, adding that they are targeting to reduce the retail price of rice to P30 per kilo from the current range of P40-P50 per kilo.
“Noong huling pagpupulong ng NFA Council ay napag-usapan na magtakda rin ng presyo kung magkano ang bibilhin kasi normally naka-peg iyon at P25 – masyadong mura iyon at masyadong malulugi ang NFA. So, itinakda na less than 20 percent than the prevailing market price na itinakda ng Philippine Statistics Authority,” he added.
This means that if the retail price of rice is P50 per kilo in the market, the NFA would sell it at P40, from the original cost of P37 to P38, De Mesa said.
The DA expects the country’s rice harvest for the first quarter of 2024 to be at 4.68 million metric tons, down by 100,000 metric tons from the 4.78 million MT year on year.
“Pero kung titingnan natin iyong kabuuan na tina-target natin, last year we harvested 20.06 million metric tons. Ang target natin ngayong taon na ito is 20.48 million metric tons. So kung nabawasan siya ng 100,000 – mayroon pa rin tayong mga buffer na mga 300,000 metric tons na puwede pa nating additionally ma-harvest pagdating ng wet season,” De Mesa said. (ABS-CBN News)
