DA gives NFA go-signal to import more rice

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is giving the National Food Authority (NFA) the green light to import more rice on top of the expected 500,000 metric tons (MT) set to arrive through August.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he would approve the plan once the NFA submits a proposal to import more rice.

The DA chairs the interagency NFA Council that gives orders to proceed with importation.

“I have no problem with that. If they want to import, go ahead,” Piñol told jour- nalists yesterday.

“My plan is to let the private sector import rice as much as they want this year and let it flood the market and NFA should procure more palay and then save it for next year,” he added.

The NFA said it would likely recommend additional imports, as the 500,000 MT is only good for 15 days.

Approximately 300,000 to 500,000 MT of additional rice will likely be imported.

Piñol said the lifting of the quantitative restriction (QR) would not affect local farmers.

“Even if we lift the QR, there will not be much rice that will enter the market because everybody is looking at China right now, which may buy at a higher price,” Piñol said.

“Next year, China may import five percent of its national requirement and that is about 15 million MT,” he added.

Globally, the annual volume of rice available is only about 39 million MT, 38 million MT of which is committed to various non-rice producing countries.

“This is also why I have been telling our farmers to plant more because there will really be a tight supply next year,” Piñol said.

He said he is expecting a modest growth in the agriculture sector for the first quarter, which will be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority today.