Subsidy for rice farmers proposed
A neophyte solon has proposed the establishment of a subsidy program designed to encourage farmers to produce more and make the country rice self-sufficient.
AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee expressed concern over reports that international rice supplies and prices are in a constant state of instability and unpredictability, and local rice production unable to guarantee affordable rice for consumers.
Dubbed the Rice Incentivization, Self-Sufficiency, and Enterprise (RISE) Program, its objective is to make rice production profitable for farmers while ensuring that rice prices remain stable and affordable for the ordinary Filipino consumer via a subsidy that will be provided for the country’s estimated 2.6 million rice farmers.
“Panahon na para maglaan ang gobyerno ng subsidiya sa pagbili ng bigas sa mga magsasaka sa presyong tiyak ang kanilang magiging kita para masuportahan ang pamilya. Kung hahayaan natin na manatili ang mga problema sa sektor at mas bumigat pa ang pasanin ng mga magsasaka, panghihinaan sila ng loob na magpatuloy sa kanilang kabuhayan at mahihirapan tayong hikayatin ang kabataan na pasukin ang agrikultura. We will also have an epidemic of rice fields being turned into subdivisions,” Lee said.
“Via the RISE Program, we believe there is a chance for the Philippine rice industry to rise again. Sa subsidiyang ito ng gobyerno para masigurong maibebenta ng mga magsasaka ang bigas sa presyong hindi sila babaratin, ma-e-engganyo silang pataasin ang kanilang produksyon. Sa tulong nito, magkakaroon ng sapat na supply ang bansa at hindi tayo aasa lang sa importasyon,” he also said.
He added that aside from buying rice from farmers at competitive prices, the RISE Program will mandate the government to sell the rice it acquires to consumers at affordable rates.
“Bibilhin ng gobyerno ang bigas sa presyong sigurado ang kita ng mga magsasaka, at ibebenta sa consumers sa halagang mas abot-kaya. Mapapagaan na ang pasanin ng mga magsasaka at mamimili, makakatulong pa sa ating food security. Dito sa RISE Program, Winner Tayo Lahat,” stressed Lee.
“Kailangan itong paglaanan ng kaukulang budget para matugunan na ang kakulangan sa bigas na napakatagal nang pinoproblema ng ating bansa,” he further explained.
Data from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) shows that in 2021, the country imported 2.9 million metric tons of rice, while in 2020 the country brought in 2.2 million metric tons of the food staple. In 2019, on the other hand, the country imported a whopping 3.1 million metric tons of rice.
Figures from PhilRice also reveal that the average rice import dependency ratio of the Philippines from 2001 to 2021 is 12 percent, with a low of 3 percent in 2013 and a high of 20 percent in 2019.
The import dependency ratio indicates the extent to which a country’s supply of commodities came from imports. A higher ratio implies greater dependency on importation.
