MANILA, Philippines -- A militant farmers? group accused Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap on Thursday of engaging in double talk, saying the official's announcement of the government's importation of rice from Vietnam countered his earlier vow to support local rice production.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) cited earlier quoting Yap as saying he was looking for possible re-channeling of the fund for rice imports to subsidies such as irrigation, post-harvest facilities and market assistance, supposedly to build rice self-sufficiency.

The group said it was angered at Yap?s apparent turnaround when he announced that the government would import 600,000 metric tons of Vietnam rice at an average of $940 per ton.

"He's a genuine and hardcore pawn of President [Gloria] Macapagal-Arroyo. He's acting like a true-blue businessman as he set his eyes on Vietnam to lift its rice export ban, anticipated a lower buying price and only considered in shoving them off into the local market," Willy Marbella, KMP deputy secretary general for internal affairs, said in a press statement.

The peasant leader said the importation would hurt farmers more and discourage them from planting rice, amid a continuing decrease in the price of palay. He said the average selling price per kilogram of palay in 2007 was pegged at P11.21, an ?insignificant? increase of P0.55 from P10.66 per kg in 2005.

?These data gauge concretely the economic well-being of rice farmers in the countryside,? Marbella said, adding that Yap's approach to the crisis seemed simple -- ?flood the market with rice to force down prices, disregarding the backlash on the local production, particularly the farmers' well-being.?

Marbella said government ?thoughtlessly? increased its rice imports to 2.3 million metric ton for 2008, a whopping 28-percent increase from last year's import level of 1.79 million.

?While imported rice keep on coming, local palay prices are pushed down to 'unliveable' levels for farmers. This trend already caused havoc to the livelihood of farmers in the past years. It seems like this government has no intention of reversing it,? Marbella observed.

The peasant leader also said Yap was ?dreaming? when he projected 98-percent rice self-sufficiency by 2010 or 19.8 million metric tons of local production.

The KMP leader cited government data for 2004 to 2006, which showed that rice imports swelled drastically by 71 percent, from 1 million to 1.72 million metric tons, while local production, pegged at 10 million metric tons in 2006, represented a measly growth of 5.73 percent.

?This level is just a little more than half of Secretary Yap's dream in 2010. He keeps on dreaming while changing nothing, or yet changing for the worse. As if he could make a miracle of doubling local production levels in just three years," Marbella lamented.

The peasant leader said rice imports would come ?like a storm? for farmers. ?The Arroyo government treats farmers like ants who keep on working, while it continues to import as it is praying for rain, which is totally harmful and destructive,? he said.