Various groups call for price controls on rice

By: Jeannette I. Andrade - 10 years ago

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Farmer groups, fisherfolk and civil society organizations called on the government Monday to impose price controls on rice to make the staple affordable for most Filipinos.

The groups also urged the government agencies concerned to act against rice hoarders, mostly mill owners, who are allegedly causing the shortage of the cheaper varieties of the staple in the market.

At a press conference in Quezon City on Monday, the National Rice Farmers Council (NRFC), the Rice Watch and Action Network (R1), Alyansa Agrikultura (Agricultural Alliance), and Pangisda-Pilipinas urged the National Price Coordinating Council to set the suggested retail price of commercial rice at P39.50 per kilo, which is affordable to most Filipino households.

NRFC spokesman Jaime Tadeo said, “Unless the government acts decisively to arrest unscrupulous traders who manipulate prices to assure profits into their pockets, the current average price of P43 per kilo of rice will become the new normal.”

He added, “This is dangerous because it may spur increase in hunger incidence and the government’s touted economic gains will remain elusive to the poor majority of the population.”

R1 convenor Aurora Regalado for her part said, “Despite the repeated government pronouncements on increasing rice production, we can plainly see the scarcity of affordable rice.”

Tadeo pointed out that the scarcity of affordable rice can be attributed to the National Food Authority’s failure to buy palay (unmilled rice) early this year from farmers in different provinces.

He said that farmers opted to sell their products to private rice millers who bought palay stocks at an average of P22.50 per kilo. Tadeo pointed out that this was because the NFA bought palay at a low price of P17 per kilo.

But, he said, this has given rise to rice mill owners monopolizing the supply of the staple and dictating prices.

Pablo Rosales, Pangisda-Pilipinas president, condemned the continued rise in rice prices.

“We cannot afford to bear any more increase in prices of food, much more the staple food. Removing rice from the dinner table, particularly from the poor, will worsen hunger. The government will drive us deeper to extreme poverty if it will not act on the increasing prices of food. If that happens, it will belie President Aquino’s words that we are his boss,” Rosales said.