Stakeholders appeal for tariff exemption on rice seeds
-- Various farmers' organizations, rice millers and producers on Monday appealed to Malacanang to veto some provisions in the proposed Rice Tariffication Bill which is expected to be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte anytime soon.
Among the objectionable provisions, they said, is the proposed imposition of tariff on imported rice seedlings, particularly hybrid rice seeds.
Former Agriculture official and now SL Agritech Technical Adviser Francisco Malabanan, in a press conference said the proposal will have great effect on the farmers.
"Malaki ang epekto nito sa mga magsasaka sapagkat yung binhi ng rice lalo na yung hybrid rice hindi natin ma-produce sa Pilipinas dahil wala tayong compact area na malalaki. Yung technology sa pag-produce ng hybrid rice seedlings kailangan ng malaking compact area para masigurado na buo ang binhi ng hybrid na mapoproduce (The proposed rice tariffication would affect the farmers especially those planting hybrid seeds as the country lacks big compact areas which the technology needs to produce them)," he said.
Malabanan projects an increase of 35 percent to 50 percent in the prices of imported hybrid rice seeds if the proposed measure becomes a law. "Kung susundin ang nakasaad sa proposed rice tariffication ay 35-50 percent ang itataas sa binhi. Magiging napakamahal na ang binhing palay lalo na ang hybrid, hindi magtatanim ang ating mga magsasaka (If you had to follow the proposed rice tariffication, the increase on imported hybrid seeds would be around 35-50 percent)," he said.
For now, Malabanan said, majority of hybrid rice seeds are being produced locally in Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, and parts of Luzon.
"Just give us compact areas to produce hybrid rice seeds so we don't need to import. We can produce, we just need more compact rice areas so we can produce," he said.
Senator Cynthia Villar earlier said that the President has already certified as urgent the rice tariffication bill to protect Filipino farmers from the influx of imported grains as a result of the removal of quantitative restriction being imposed by the World Trade Organization (WTO). /