DA DECLARES FOOD SECURITY EMERGENCY ON RICE

DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Monday declared a food security emergency on rice.

The declaration was based on the recommendations from the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC). 

“This emergency declaration allows us to release rice buffer stocks held by the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize prices and ensure that rice, a staple food for millions of Filipinos, remains accessible to consumers,” Tiu Laurel said in Department Circular 3.

The NPCC observed the persistently high prices of rice despite lower global market costs and the reduction of rice tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent in July last year.

It cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing a 17.9 percent rice inflation in September 2023, way higher than the 4 percent food inflation target of the government.

Regular and well-milled rice also remained high, rising by 19 percent and 20 percent, respectively, from the previous year.

While the government has reduced tariffs to liberalize rice imports, retail prices continued to increase.

Republic Act 12078 or the amended Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) authorizes the DA secretary to declare a food security emergency in case of extraordinary price increases.

The amended RTL allows the DA chief to release the agency’s buffer stocks to government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program.

Currently, the NFA has about 300,000 metric tons (MT) of buffer stocks, and the agency plans to release half of these over the next six months.

The agency said it may increase this volume if necessary.

Senate President Francis Escudero said he supports the declaration of a food emergency and urged the government to do everything to lower the price of rice.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said that  the declaration is meant “to force the price down” after the government has done everything to do so. 

According to Marcos, prices of rice in the market remained high even after the decrease in the cost of production.