This After trading
barbs in the media
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
Department of
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and national multi-industry’s Samahang
Agrikultura at Industriya (Sinag) chairperson Rosendo So had traded barbs lately in the
national media.
So vented to reporters
that with the influx of imported pork, chicken, and the new liberalization of
the importation of rice under the new law, Republic Act 11203 or an Act Liberalizing
the Importation, Exportation, and Trading of Rice, the lives of Filipino
farmers hog and pork raisers and farmers go to the dogs.
“Ang
tawag sa Department of Agriculture hind na Department of Agriculture,
Department of Importation. Ang problem itong secretary nawawala, palaging
nagtatago ayaw harapin ang ating mga taga hog industry. Siguro guilty sa
kanyang ginawa kaya ayaw harapin ang mga taga hog industry,” So cited when
he was interviewed by ABS-CBN's television anchor Noli de Castro.
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That play of words had
been quoted by amused national radio and television reporters like Ted Failon of DZMM
but refuted by Piñol on the recent interview at DZMM.
Piñol, a former print
and radio reporter, answered the raps of Rosendo So:
“Ano ang sinasabi niyang Department of Importation. Bakit
wala ba kaming suporta sa mga local na magsasaka. That’s unfair iyang sinasabi
niya tago ako ng tago nandito ako ngayon sa Muñoz Nueva Ecija kaharap ko iyong
mga rice stakeholders,”
he told Failon.
When asked about the
over importation of pork and chicken
approved by the D.A that So said will annihilate the local
poultry and hog industries, Piñol answered:
“Hindi masasabing over importation. There was a marked
increase of the importation of pork and chicken, these are problems we can
address if we seat together. You know, discuss the solution rather than label
us as Department of Importation”.
The Sinag chair cited
the cheap buying prices of palay (unhusked rice) at the expense of the
marginalized Filipino farmers because the National Food Authority and the D.A
allowed the importation of 1.96 million MT or 39.2 million bags in 2018, 555,
696 MT or 11, 113, 920 in January 2019, and 350,000 MT or 7 million bags in
February 2019 outside of the Minimum
Access Volume (MAV).
MAV, according to the
Tariff Commission, is the amount of imports of an agricultural product allowed
to be imported into the country at a customs duty lower thant the out-quota
customs duty.
The more than 2.3
million farmers protested the fire sale buying price of palay offered to them
by traders due to the very expensive cost of pesticides, seeds, and others.
The average kilo of
palay as of press time is P14.5 in Isabela, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, and other
places in the country.
During the consultation
of the implementing rules and regulation (IRI) of the Republic Act No. 11203 held
last Monday at the Philippine Carabao Center in Munoz City, Pinol and So shook
hand and were in high spirit when they joined high elective officials and brass
of the D.A to a lunch at the V.I.P Hall of the PCC. This representation was the
lone media practitioner who was with them there.
Here is the passionate exchanges
between Piñol and So that were joined by some big wigs of the Department of
Agriculture and this writer. Excerpts:
MANNY PINOL (MP): Iyong pagtake over namin ng
NFA na release na lahat ng MAV ang (inaudible)
350 under sa amin iyon.
ROSENDO SO (RS): 2019
January ang pinasok na rice 555,000 metric tons.
WOMAN (A high D.A
official): Ni open na.
MP: Out quota. Naka
open na.
RS: Bakit tayo nag out
quota hindi pa tapos ang tariffication?
MP: Pards, puwede mo
bang sabihin kay presidente na “hindi na
puwede, sir” ?! Sige nga, ikaw nga!
(Chuckles from the
mostly high government officials in the lunch table)
RS: Hindi papasa iyon,
ang issue ko…
VIDEO
VIDEO
MP: Alam mo iyong out quota is something that we
can do provided na na aprobahan ng NFA Council outside of the MAV kasi minimum
access volume ngayon. You can go beyond that actually.
RS: Oo, pero…
MP: With approval of
the council.
RS: Iyong mga millers
ayaw din nila sa palay dahil takot sila.
MP: Normal iyan. Pero
pag ako tingin ko pag umpisa ang liberalization iyong mga sinabi mo na…
RS: Pinasok natin
ngayon hindi kasama iyan sa MAV sa tarification.
MP: Pero ito hindi mo
rin puwede subukan ng mga tao. Ibig sabihin iyang mga importers where also see
to it na iyang papasok nilang bigas ay mabibili. Sapagkat pag ikaw ang nag
invest bibilhin mo na rin. So, iyan ang No. 1 limiting factors. No. 1 iyong
absorbing capacity ng local market. No. 2 iyong accessibility ng supply sa
world market. I understand price rise sa world market actually that is the
concern of the importers.
RS: Iyang walang permanent
diyan sa world market..
MP: Iyong Vietnam my
shift pa. Instead of the continuing with
their rice production program using prolific rice varieties and moving toward
good eating quality of rice varieties kaya magkakaroon ng reaction iyan. Ako
ang tingin ko we will survive initially magkakaroon ng shock but we will
survive. Useless ang question how efficient and effective government will be
able to do do kapag efficient tayo sa delivery hindi na magrereklamo ang mga
tao.
MEDIA MAN MORTZ
ORTIGOZA: Sir, how much iyong expectation iyong price retail ng imported pag
pumasok na dito?
MP: Depende iyan e kasi
nga ito ang data ng NFA. Because out of itong latest na pumasok under out quota
ito, di ba? Sa pumasok na 260, 000 MT, ang pumasok na 15% broken is not even
25. 25 kasi dating 25 binebenta ng gobyerno so it is not 25 dati it is 15%
broken is 5,921 ang pumasok na premium grade is 40% is 227, 900 metric ton.
RS: Anong month iyan?
MP: As of February out
of quota.
RS: Iyan 555, 000 MT as
of January. Ilan ang out of quota?
WOMAN: Sabay kasi sir
iyong MAV at NFA..
RS: Kasi nakikita ko
wala pang tariff kung 25% walang taripa.
WOMAN: Sa NFA iyan.
MP: Pero ito pinabayaan
namin sila mag import, ang inimport nila premium.
Natandaan ninyo
noong nagka rice crisis tayo? Ang premium rice ng Vietnam, Thailand ay about
P60 a kilo. Hindi lalayo ang bentahan kuwarenta mahigit.
RS: Sec, pero ang out
of quota is Pakistan.
MP: Hindi, omnibus
RS: Pakistan, India,
China iyon ang ano?
MP: Vietnam meron
RS: Magkano ang out of quota ng Vietnam?
D.A Commissioner Cris
Morales: 50. Noong nag shift sila into sa quantity to quality.
MP: Iyon ang isa..
MORALES: Depende sa
demand.
MP: The world’s is
moving to rice. In fact ang Mozambique…
ORTIGOZA: Iyong
importation iyong kinakain ng masa possible
pa P33 papasok sila per kilo?
MP: Depende iyan kung ang importer wala ng..
MORALES: Depende puwede
kung mag import sila ng 30% broken.
ORTIGOZA: Would it
threaten the local farmers sa ganoong presyo?
MP: That is it the
importers will opt for the P33 or 25% broken. Pero kung ikaw ang importers mas
malaki ang tubo mo sa 5% broken.
RS:Compete ang premium
pag nagpapasok sila ng 35. After kung wala na sila Eric.
MP: Malamang baka papapalo
rin sa premium ordinary.
WOMAN: Halo
RS: Okay lang.
ORTIGOZA: Pero sir, iyong P33
versus local farmers hindi tayo na ti threaten diyan?
MP: Well, alam mo naman
kasi ang Filipino kasi na gusto maselan. Pumunta ka sa merkado mas mahal iyong
local rice iyong kaysa sa binibiling...
MORALES: At 32-35 pero
depende sa baba. Pero mas mahal ang ating cost. Kung makuha mo ng mga dose’
iyong production cost.
ORTIGOZA: Ngayon ang
average ng bigas sa masa P40 a kilo, ano?
DA WOMAN: P38
MORALES: Iyong 32 ang
computation namin dito pag pumasok dito around P32 lalabanan natin.
ORTIGOZA: Kasi
nakakatakot iyan 32…
MORALES: Kaya ng Nueva
Ecija ito. Mababa naman ang production (cost) nila
ORTIGOZA: Kaya nilang
labanan iyong P33 a kilo ng imported?
MORALES: Kung mataas
iyong national cost onse’ sa may merkado may laban
tayo. Hindi naman homogenous tayo e. So, ibat ibang lugar, iba ang strategy mo.
MP: Sa Zamboanga,
smuggling doon. Suko ang mga importers.
(Crowd chuckle)
ORTIGOZA: Walang taripa
ang mga smugglers (laughed).
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