Battling delays, gov’t may finally declare food emergency by February

Almost two weeks had passed since Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. confirmed that the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) had recommended the said measure in a resolution to combat the extraordinary increase in rice prices.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), which has the power to declare a food emergency upon formal recommendation of the NPCC, has said it would need two days to review the resolution before making a decision.

DA spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said if all goes according to schedule — with the NPCC coming out with the resolution soon — the department may declare a food emergency by the first week of February.

“[A]ng pinaka-[concern] namin dito is una, mapababa ‘yung presyo talaga ng bigas,” De Mesa told reporters on Tuesday, January 28. “Pangalawa, kailangan malabas talaga ‘yung stocks ng NFA (National Food Authority).“

(Our main concern here is to really lower the prices of rice. Secondly, we need to release the NFA stocks.)

Before considering the declaration of a food emergency, the government cut back tariffs from 35% to 15% for imported rice to bring down prices. However, amid declining prices in the world market, authorities have monitored that rice prices in the Philippines failed to decrease even with the tariff cut.

The DA can declare a food security emergency under certain conditions, such as an extraordinary increase in prices. The declaration will allow the National Food Authority (NFA) to sell their rice buffer stocks to local governments.

Because of the delay, the NFA can’t sell rice buffer stocks to local governments yet, leaving them unable to free up their glutted warehouses before harvest season.

The DA initially targeted to release NFA rice stocks by February 1.

According to Department of Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Agaton Uvero, the NPCC secretariat only finalized the resolution on Monday, January 27. The DTI is part of the said council.

Uvero told lawmakers at the House of Representatives that the NPCC secretariat may release the recommendation to the DA within two days.

“It’s more of the [wording] kasi dumadaan sa mga the usual complete staff work of the secretaries na hindi ‘yan pipirma kapag hindi na-review,“ Uvero said during the House quinta committee hearing on Tuesday.

(It’s more of the wording because it goes through the usual complete staff work of the secretaries who will not sign if they don’t review.)

“That’s the bureaucracy of it.”

As of Monday, the prices of imported rice, from regular to special types, ranged from P38 to P61. Meanwhile, locally produced rice ranged from P37 to P63. – Rappler.com