Did The Rice Tariff Law Just Sink The Filipino Farmers Even Lower?

Photo from northboundasia

The Rice Tariffication Law that was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last February 15 took effect last March 5. A few months after it has taken effect, reports say that it is hurting the Filipino farmers more than ever.

What is it?

After the kilo of rice reached P70 per kilo, the president vowed that he will take action. Looking at the problem and seeing that rice produced in the Philippines are getting lesser and lesser compared to the demand it has, the law allowed private companies to import nearly unlimited rice from other countries.

Taking the logic of supply and demand in mind, the more available rice is in the Philippines, the lesser their priced will be. Who else would be hit the hardest? Of course, our Filipino farmers who are planting and producing rice.


Cause and effect

In every reaction there will be an effect. Because of the vast supply of rice, the selling prices of "palay" in some places in Nueva Ecija went down to P7 to P8. Farmers are pleading to get noticed since what they are earning is not enough for their living expenses even before the tarrif came to effect. What more today?

Farmers are calling out to the government to suspend the said law. Some of them already even sold their farms and looked for other ways to earn.

Not true?

Senator Cynthia Villar, who authored the law do not believe that the rice price can go down to that price. According to her, more help should be given to the affected farmers so they won't say that.

"Siguro dapat 'yung mga naapektuhan ng disaster puntahan niyo na at tulungan niyo para hindi sila salita nang salita na ang presyo ng palay ay P6, P7, P8,"

She even added that there's no other choice for that matter anymore.

"Wala na tayong choice kasi after 22 years we have to liberalize because that is the agreement with WTO [World Trade Organization],"