DA: Local rice still cheaper than imports

MANILA, Philippines — The retail price of local rice remains cheaper compared to the imported grains nearly two months after Executive Order 62 took effect, according to latest monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

EO 62 lowers the tariff for imported rice from 35 percent to 15 percent. It took effect on July 7.

According to the DA’s price watch in Metro Manila markets, the retail price of local regular milled rice was between P43 and P50 per kilo compared to imported regular rice of between P46 and P50 per kilo.

The retail price of local well-milled rice was also lower, between P47 and P55 per kilo compared to imported well-milled rice, between P48 and P55 per kilo.

Local premium rice ranged between P50 and P58 per kilo compared to imported premium rice, between P54 and P60 per kilo.

Meanwhile, the retail price of local special rice ranged between P59 and P62 per kilo compared to imported special rice, between P55 and P65 per kilo.

For his part, farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura chairman Rosendo So said the high retail price of imported rice only proved the contention of various organizations that the lower tariff on imported grains will not bring down the cost of the staple.

“I talked to the farmers in Vietnam and they were happy that the tariff (in the Philippines) went down but the cost of rice in Vietnam increased. Because the tariff was slashed, they increased their prices. The (Philippine) government helped the Vietnamese farmers, not the Filipino farmers,” So said in an interview with The STAR.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has defended the cut in tariff, saying it will result in a P7 per kilo drop in the retail prices of imported rice.

“The promise that the imported rice will go down by P7 per kilo did not happen. The promise of (NEDA) Secretary (Arsenio) Balisacan that imported rice will go down to P29 to P30 per kilo did not happen. Where is the lower (price for) imported rice?” So added.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairman Danilo Ramos echoed So’s sentiment, saying the retail price of well-milled rice of P48 to P55 per kilo is too much for ordinary wage earners.

“As what we have expected and have argued before, Malacañang’s EO 62 will only benefit rice exporting countries and local rice importers,” Ramos said.

He added that genuinely bolstering the local rice industry and doing away with excessive importation is the only realistic way to lower rice prices.