Rice traders assail DA, NFA execs for limiting rice allocation in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY – Rice traders assailed the Department of Agriculture and National Food Authority for limiting their rice allocation to be sold in markets here saying poor local residents
who are the ones suffering the consequences of their actions.

The DA and NFA must instead be instrumental in reducing excessive rice prices brought about by the limited supply by releasing the tons of rice stocked in the warehouses of Region II, they said.

Despite threats to reduce their allocations because for exposing the officials’ alleged diversion of cheap rice to rice-producing areas instead of urban centers, rice traders here urged the national government to increase the buying price of palay so farmers will continue producing the staple food and improve the country’s rice self-sufficiency.

Instead of wasting billions of pesos in hard earned taxpayer’s money for alleged overpriced imported rice, local traders and retailers said government funds should be used to help farmers through increased buying price of palay to prevent farmers from selling their agricultural lands or convert these to industrial areas.

If the government could afford to spend $1,200 or P45,900 per metric ton of rice or a whooping P2,295 for imported rice, they said the huge difference must instead be used to increase the buying price of palay from P17 to P20 per kilo to help farmers cope with increasing prices of basic commodities.

In this case, 80 kilos of palay, which is needed to produce 50 kilos or one cavan of rice, will now cost P1, 600 way above the prevailing 17 per kilo buying price of palay.

Aside from increasing the buying price of palay, traders and retailers cited urgent need to flood the Metro Manila markets with sufficient rice supply to help reduce skyrocketing prices of cheap and commercial rice in urban centers of the country.

According to them, Region II, particularly Isabela, has overflowing supply of rice, including the diverted imported cheap rice, but they are puzzled why such supply is not being released to Metro Manila because of the huge demand since the country is now in the lean months.

While admitting that there is a P2 to P3 reduction in the prices of commercial rice, they claimed such downtrend in rice prices is till not enough because the supposed price should be from P28 to 30 per kilo.

They said the national government had been bragging about existence of sufficient rice supply in the country brought about by the arrival of hundreds of tons of imported rice but it seems the imported rice could not stabilize the prices in the markets because of the failure of concerned government agencies to flood the markets, particularly in urban centers, with the overflowing rice supply in rice-producing areas. – Dexter A.See