THE PHILIPPINES needs to strengthen its trade relationships with the rest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ensure access to affordable rice, an agricultural economist said. “We have to strengthen our ASEAN trade relations to ensure rice availability and affordability…,” Karlo Fermin S. Adriano of the Ateneo de Manila University Economics department […]
Tag: rice
Groups renew lobby vs rice import liberalization
GROUPS on Tuesday renewed calls to repeal the Rice Tariffication Law passed in 2019, saying it has not brought down the retail price of the staple and failed to deliver on the supposed development support for local farmers. Watch group Bantay Bigas and the farmers’ organization Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women led a petition […]
US chamber pushes for repeal of agri foreign investment cap
THE American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) has called on the government to remove foreign investment restrictions in the rice and corn industry if it wants to boost farm productivity. AmCham issued the statement after President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. extended tariff reductions on pork, rice, corn, and coal until the end of […]
Marcos says just finishing his ‘checklist’ before appointing an agri chief
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday said he is just finishing a “checklist” of things he wants to do in the agriculture department before appointing his replacement who will be able to function as a full-time secretary. “I have a timetable for that and certain things I want to achieve before leaving the department, […]
Farmers lobby Marcos not to extend EO setting low rice tariffs
THE Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) asked President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. not to extend the effectivity of an executive order setting lower tariffs for rice imports. FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said in a statement on Monday that lower tariffs do not benefit consumers. Executive Order (EO) No. 171 signed by former President […]
Commission hears proposal to extend low tariff regime for pork, rice, corn, coal
THE Tariff Commission (TC) will conduct public hearings regarding proposals to extend the application of lower tariffs for pork, corn, rice, and coal to help minimize the impact of inflation. In a notice posted to its website dated Oct. 24, the TC said it will conduct the hearing via videoconference on Nov. 9. The hearing […]
Lawmaker calls on DA to boost sweet potato development as alternative to rice
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) should fund the development of sweet potato, locally known as kamote, to boost production and food innovation to make it a more attractive alternative to rice, a lawmaker said on Tuesday. Iloilo Rep. Janette L. Garin, a physician and former health secretary, said promoting alternatives to the Filipino staple is […]
USDA raises PHL rice import forecast to 3.4 million MT
PHILIPPINE rice imports are expected to rise to 3.4 million metric tons (MT) in the July 2022-June 2023 period, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) said, upgrading its previous forecast of 3.3 million MT. “Rice is a highly political crop in the Philippines, and supply sufficiency is very important for the […]
Farm damage from typhoon estimated at P2.02 billion
AGRICULTURAL damage caused by Typhoon Karding (international name: Noru) has hit P2.02 billion, the Department of Agriculture said. The storm damaged an estimated 150,693 hectares of farmland and affected over 91,944 farmers and fisherfolk, resulting in lost production of 117,663 metric tons. Damage and losses were reported in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, the Cagayan […]
Rice prices set to rise as high input costs dampen farm output
A RICE shortage is looming if the government does not address rising input costs and low farmer incomes, rice industry analysts and representatives said. “There is a threat that we might be lacking in rice. For us farmers, the first reason is because of low prices of palay (unmilled rice) and high input costs. Because […]
Bill seeks more post-harvest facilities
A CONGRESSMAN has filed a bill that seeks to build post-harvest facilities to lower production losses and increase farmers’ revenue. Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee filed House Bill 358, which orders the Public Works department in consultation with the Agriculture and Agrarian Reform departments and farmer cooperatives to build warehouses and rice mills in every […]
India restricts rice exports, could fuel food inflation
MUMBAI — India banned exports of broken rice and imposed a 20% duty on exports of various grades of rice on Thursday as the world’s biggest exporter of the grain tries to augment supplies and calm local prices after below-average monsoon rainfall curtailed planting. India exports rice to more than 150 countries, and any reduction […]
Farm mechanization agency under pressure over disbursement performance
THE Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) faced questioning from the Senate after disbursing only a fraction of its budget for mechanizing the rice farming industry. At a hearing of the Senate Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform committee Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios R. Marcos said the agency disbursed only P159 million of the funding available […]
LANDBANK waiting for DA list of beneficiaries for P5,000 aid
THE Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) said it is waiting for the Department of Agriculture (DA) to complete its list of rice farmer beneficiaries eligible for P5,000 in aid, which will be implemented via the issuance of cash cards. “The bank is dependent on the submission from the DA of the list of accounts […]
Tell it to SunStar: Groups urge Marcos Jr. to stop the Golden Rice project
The Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women and rice watch group Bantay Bigas have urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to revoke the permit for the commercial propagation of Golden Rice. The groups said that as president and agriculture secretary, Marcos Jr. should address the root causes of malnutrition in the country and push for policy […]
DBM releases rice farmer subsidy of over P8 billion
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it released P8.05 billion worth of subsidies for rice farmers for distribution in the third and fourth quarters. In a statement on Monday, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the DBM released the Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) to the Department of Agriculture (DA), which will distribute […]
EXPLAINER: COA has no specific finding of overprice in Cebu City’s 2021 Covid spending. But it flags LGU ‘violations’ of rules and law on rice, packed meals. How would Sanggunian minority use COA report?
CONTEXT. The Cebu City Council — starting when Michael “Mike” Rama was still vice mayor, then acting mayor, mostly in 2021 — had been pressing for an accounting of multi-billion pesos spent on the anti-Covid campaign. It didn’t get what it wanted: not the detailed summary the Sanggunian minority, led by Councilor Nestor Archival Sr., […]
Lessons on agriculture I learned under Marcos Sr.
As BBM — Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. — starts his administration as President of the Republic and concurrent Secretary of Agriculture, it is useful to recall some of the good and bad things about his father’s administration of the country’s agriculture sector. Marcos Sr. started his administration when the country was food insecure, even more […]
Tell it to SunStar: Amid rising rice prices, groups gather signatures vs. Rice Liberalization Law
The Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, rice watch group Bantay Bigas and urban poor group Kadamay led the petition signing on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, held at the Kamuning Market in Quezon City to gather public’s support in demanding the repeal of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Law and the enactment of […]
Rice tariffication law should stay to ensure food security, Finance chief says
FINANCE Secretary Benjamin Diokno said he will officially recommend to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to continue the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), in light of the President’s earlier pronouncements to amend or suspend the law.The measure, enacted as Republic Act 11203 on February 14, 2019, lifted the quantitative restriction on rice imports […]