Marcos: Importation, rice tariffication law ravages PH agriculture

FILE PHOTO: Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — While rice importation can aid in times of crisis such as the pandemic, such a move “ravages” local agriculture, presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Monday.

During the Agri 2022 online forum, Marcos lamented the impact of rice importation, particularly on local farmers.

“I understand that during the crisis, during the pandemic, our government decided to use importations to maintain the price of rice. Okay, that’s been effective [but] the problem with importation and the rice tarrification law is that it ravages the local agriculture,” Marcos said.

“Do you remember last year? Sabi there was a notice from [Department of Agriculture] saying we should prioritize importation. Where does that kind of thinking come from? What possible reason do you want to prioritize importation before the locals?” he later added.

Marcos likewise lamented how fewer younger generations want to pursue agriculture in the country, owing to low profitability in the endeavor.

“‘Yung mga farmers mismo nagsasabi sa mga anak nila, ‘wag kayong magfa-farm. Mahirap masyado ang buhay na ito, maghanap kayo ng ibang trabaho’ and that’s a sad, sad state of affairs,” Marcos said.

(It’s the farmers themselves telling their children, ‘don’t engage in farming. Life is too difficult and you should look for another job’, and that’s a sad, sad state of affairs.)

“It would come down simply to profitability. We have to make our yields higher, we have to have better varieties,” he added.

EDV