Farmers slam DA ‘gimmicks’ on rice as swindling scheme 

INQUIRER FILES

The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) latest program to slash the price of rice by repackaging broken white and brown rice varieties and selling it at below P40 per kilo in the local market has been described by peasant groups on Friday as “pambubudol” (swindling) and another “trial-and-error” scheme.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) calls “sulit rice” and “nutri rice” as another “gimmick” by the DA that would not solve the problem of rice imports and rising cost of rice in the country, which continue to burden local farmers.

“Instead of ensuring fair prices for farmers and adequate subsidies to boost local production, the government is conditioning the public to accept cheap, substandard rice,” KMP chair Danilo Ramos said in a statement.

He pointed out that some of the rice to be used for the two rebranded rice varieties would come from other countries—another indication of the government’s reliance on imported rice to boost local supply and lower prices.

READ: DA mulls ‘food security emergency’ to rein in rice prices

“Cheaper rice must be anchored on a developed local agricultural sector. We must subsidize farmers, not imports, to ensure long-term food security and affordability. This is where the DA should focus,” Ramos said.

He stressed the sulit and nutri rice varieties are just another “experiment” or a “band-aid solution” with no long-term gains for both consumers and farmers.

The DA had said it would launch this year the sulit and nutri rice at Kadiwa stores and select markets and train stations, selling it for P36 per kilo and P38 per kilo, respectively.

It described nutri rice as “brownish,” while sulit rice would be white but “super broken.” They would be offered on top of the mixed local and imported well-milled varieties currently sold at P40 per kilo at Kadiwa centers.

Deceptive tactic

For the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, the new DA project is just another “pambubudol,” or deceptive tactic, citing instances of consumers’ complaints to retailers about the quality of broken grains sold in the market.

“Even retailers have admitted that [some] consumers were forced to buy 100-percent broken rice priced at only P40 per kilo. They were disappointed because it turns into porridge or ‘lugaw’ when cooked due to the broken grains,” the group said in a statement.

Amihan secretary general and Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo stressed “in reality, these programs won’t drive down market rice prices because the government still relies on importation.”