Farmers group calls for govt action as rice prices soar

The Manila Times

Farmers group calls for govt action as rice prices soar  Bantay Bigas Spokesman Cathy Estavillo calls for drastic measures as rice prices in local markets rise weekly. She suggested that the government may implement a price freeze, by-pass traders and buy 'palay' or unmilled rice directly from local farmers.  VIDEO AND INTERVIEW BY EZRAH RAYA  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #DailyNews #Farmer #Rice #BantayBigas #Palay

Transcript

00:00 I'm Ezra Raya and this is the Manila Times.

00:03 The price of rice is expected to skyrocket as the Philippines produce less output, slightly

00:09 due to the recent typhoons that ravaged parts of the archipelago.

00:14 With the NFA's buffer stock almost depleted, industry experts warn that rice prices could

00:20 go up to 60 to 65 pesos per kilo, surpassing the rates of the 1998 rice crisis.

00:28 The government aims to lower the price of the carbohydrate staple with importation deals

00:33 with Vietnam and India.

00:36 Based on the Agriculture Department's latest price watch, regular milled rice could go

00:41 from 38 to 49 pesos per kilo, while local well-milled rice can go for 42 to 52 pesos

00:49 per kilo.

00:50 Let's hear more from AMIHAN's Secretary General and Bantay Bigas spokesperson, Cathy

00:56 Estavillo.

00:58 Welcome to the Manila Times, ma'am.

01:00 Yes ma'am, in your opinion, will the price of rice continue to rise?

01:06 The price of rice really skyrocketed to the point that the previous 38 pesos was not there.

01:13 Now, the increase is 10 pesos.

01:19 This is the lowest price of 48 pesos.

01:24 In our interviews, when the stock is depleted, they will increase it.

01:30 If we go to the markets, the cheapest price is 50 pesos for the retailers in the big markets that we monitor.

01:41 This is happening because the government is not making a drastic effort to lower or freeze the price of rice.

01:54 So those who are still exporting will import to lower the price.

02:02 This means that the price will continue to rise because whenever they expect to import,

02:13 they cannot lower the price because who will be holding the importation.

02:20 Finally, the private businessmen, ever since the RA11203 was passed, they are the ones who dictate the price of rice in the markets

02:35 because the government did nothing.

02:38 Even the simple buffer stocking that they know of, they haven't done it yet.

02:48 When the price freeze of rice was announced in almost two weeks, we saw that the lowest price of 50 pesos was already the lowest price of retailers in the markets that we monitor.

03:09 Madam, the Federation of Free Farmers and former Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor said that the price of rice could go up to 60 to 65 pesos per kilo.

03:22 Do you believe this?

03:24 What is happening is price manipulation and price...

03:35 They are now based on the price of rice, but in reality, farmers cannot sell at a price of P34, which is the reason why FFM mentioned that it will go up to P65 per kilo

04:02 because the price of rice is times two, the price of rice equals the price of rice.

04:12 That's how they looked at it.

04:14 But in the rice market, if there are prices that are fluctuating, farmers cannot sell.

04:21 The rice is in the hands of traders ever since the rice harvest was over because 95% of our local production is bought by traders and millers.

04:41 Second, there is no one who is really a trader. Only a few are now trading and based on the data we got,

04:54 some provinces like Mindoro, Iloilo, Ilocos, Cagayan, Isabela, the highest price of rice is almost P21.50.

05:09 And the farmers we interviewed said that P21.50 is a bit high because only a few are selling but during the peak season,

05:24 the harvest season really drops and drops in the past, the price of rice really drops, especially during the rainy season,

05:40 that's when traders really sell their products. So this P35.00 is a statement of a trader where they are the ones who have control over the rice market in this time.

05:54 So you're saying that the price of rice is in the hands of traders and not farmers.

06:02 Ma'am based on what you said, should the government import rice to lower the price of rice?

06:08 That's the wrong move of the government.

06:13 If the price of rice goes up in our local markets, the government should import the solution right away.

06:22 In our long experience since we entered the WTO, the Agreement on Agriculture, and after that our rice industry was totally liberalized

06:35 through the RA 11203 despite our all-time high importation that reached the highest 3.8 million metric tons,

06:46 the price of rice did not go down and in the past few days, the price of rice went up.

06:55 That's the effect of price manipulation and price speculation when India made a statement that they will not export non-basmati rice.

07:08 The supply of India to the world market is so high that it caused the non-agricultural countries to go bankrupt to export it.

07:20 So the shrinkage of the supply in the world market resulted in a rise where the price of rice in our country is really affected.

07:32 It's like the price of rice in the world market is tied up.

07:37 It's like the price of rice in the world market is moving and it automatically goes up.

07:43 That's what's scary Ms. Ezra, that if the price of rice in the world market goes up weekly,

07:52 it will move because of the shrinkage of the supply, the price of rice will go up.

08:01 I said that the government should do nothing but strengthen our local production.

08:08 The government should wake up call on what's happening now.

08:13 Given that we still have time, our agricultural lands are still expanding and the manpower is huge in the city.

08:25 75% of our population still lives in the city.

08:30 We should optimize that through the programs of the government through strengthening our local production,

08:38 subsidies, support services, post-harvest facilities, and above all, land for farmers.

08:47 Our farmers will really help the needs of our country.

08:56 For your country, in order to lower the price of rice, the local production still needs to be strengthened.

09:04 The rise in the price of rice is in the hands of traders and not farmers.

09:10 The world market is facing a crisis in the rice market, but the solution is still remaining in importation.

09:18 This will not result in a decrease in the price of rice in the market because the price of rice in the world market is high and at the same time, it is in the hands of the private sector.

09:34 Thank you very much, Secretary General and Bantay Bigas spokesperson, Cathy Estavillo.

09:40 Thank you very much. Thank you, Ezra.

09:43 Thank you.

09:50 Thank you.

09:51 (beep)

09:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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