21ffifj Econom
WEDNESDAY, SEPlEllBEn ll, 2019
Speaker backs more funding for rice procurement
;PEAKER Alan Peter S. Cayet-
mo said he will support at least
P9
br
billion in additional tunding
the procurement of palay,
rr uurnilled ce, to support the
narket and prop up farmer in
)omes, as plenary discussion of
fie 2020 budget got underwayin
:he House.
I{e also backed additional al-
ocations for upgradng military
indpolice camps.
In a chance interview with
'eporters before the plenary,
l4r. Cayetano said that he can
'almost guarantee" these two
)udget augmentations.
Mr. Cayetano said that during
r caucus,legislators said they are
:onsidering palay procurement
unds of at least P9 billion, up
'rom P7 billion previously.
"Definitely not lower than P9
)illion. But we are looking for
nuch rrore," he said. "I{ung ini
:ial dito so hearing, ftulang na ku-
ang yurtg P7 billiol' (During the
nitirl discussioDs at the hearing
ve foull(l tlrlrl I'7 is inadequate).
llus, I thinl( tho Depaftnent of
rinance aheady collected more
han P9 billion (in rice import
ariffs). So lahat ng nakolektd
S3xsA*a*$sllbrld
EofTtllt TllloTHY RoY C. I'lEDll{A
Mr. Cayetano added that
P500 million each mightbe giv-
en to the Phitippine National
Rice inventory up over \Voyear-on-year ahead of harvest Police and the Armed Forces
of the Philippines to upgrade
THE national rice inventory was estimated toryincreased cornmercial
6.27o, rice held by encouraging them to mill ahd store rice, for their camps.
at 2.133 million metric tons (MMT) as of warehouses was up 3D,7Eoye r-otuyea\ arrd later sale to other local goveruments. The "Another, yung focts ng
Aug. I, up 4o.3Eo trom a year earliel but ' NFA stocks rose 355.8% from a year earlier. measures are intended to support palay ating pangulo is on secu-
down 18-7Vo month-on-month, the Philip- On a month-on-month basis, stocks held prices, which have dropped to as low as P7 in rity and makikita niyo nq lagi
pine Statistics Authodty (PSA) said. by the three sectors fell. Household inven- some areas, according to reports. naghahagilap ng pondo yung
The estimate was contained in t}te PSAS Iory decLined.2l.4Eo, rice held in commercial The inventory of corn, a key arrimal feed, PNP at AFP (the President's
Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory report. The urarehouses fell 2o%, and NFA inventory was 724080 MT, down 4O.7Eo year-on-year focus us on security and the
rice inventory is considered sufficient for was dow?1O.87o. ald down 12% from a month earlier. PNP and AFP are always seek-
about 67 days' consumption based on an This rnonth's rice harvest runs until Octo- Corn held in commercial warehouses ac- ing extra funding). Paano
average dailyrate of32,0OO MT. ber, though unsold inventory bought at high counted for 87t7o ofthe total, while house- ayusin yung mga kampo...
Sol]r.e 37.lqa of the rice inventory was prices has been lingedng in traders' ware- holds held 12.9% and the NFAzero. (hoir will they upgrade their
held by households, 41.2Eo by corlrrnercial houses, limiting their ability to purchase Year-on-year, households raised their bases)... We want to have a
warehouses, and 21.67o by the National from domestic farmers and softening the holdings 32,97o, while commercial ware- camp development program,"
Food Authority (NFA). The PSA gave no market for palay, or unmilled rice, the form house inventoryfell 45.2%. Mr. Cayetanb said.
breakdown of domestically grown against in r,vhich farmers sell tleir crop. Month-orr-month, household inventory He added, "So of course, AFP
imported rice. . The Depertment of Agriculture (DA) is rose 52.5%, while holdings of commercial and PNP needs much more than
Holdings of all categories increased com- pushing local government units to embark warehouses fell u.27o. - Vincent Mariel that, frombuilding (walls), CCTV
pared to a year earlier. Household inven- on dce purchasing at "fair" prices. It is also P. Galang and barracks... I think it's about
time to have a five or ten year
program nd maayos yung mga
sa tariffication, ddpqt naman sa trillion, the Department of form in which farmers sell rice created the Rice Competitive- (to upgrade) military and police
latmers talaga mapupunta. Ayun Agriculture (DA) received a to traders. The market for palay ness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), camps all over the country"
yung intention. (All the collec- budget of P56.8 billion. softened because of competition which is financed by tariffs col- According to the 2020 NER
tiols generated by tariffication The DA is pressing for more from greater quantities of im- Iected on imports. RCEF is in- the Philippine National Police has
tended to upgrade rice farmers' a PI84.g-billion budget, and the
need to go to the farmers - tlat is palay procurement by govern- ported rice brought in under the
the inention)." ment entities, including local Rice Tadffication Law. access 10 seed, inputs, credit, Department of National Defense
In the 2020 National Ex- governments, to support the The law, enacted as a response machinery, and rice-planting PI89 billion. Vinee A.ngelo C.
penditure Program of P4.1 collapsing market for pala! the to the inflation crisis of2Ol8, also know-how. Ferreras
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