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‘We’re going to use all choices or the whole arsenal – from laws to tariff fee reductions – as a result of that is what we’re right here for,’ says Home Speaker Martin Romualdez
MANILA, Philippines – In keeping with Home Speaker Martin Romualdez, the federal government is exhausting all choices to decrease rice costs.
The federal government financial managers agreed to chop tariff charges to fifteen% from 35%, which might imply cheaper rice for customers. Farmer teams, nevertheless, expressed concern, because it penalizes native producers.
This comes simply weeks after the Home of Representatives permitted on third and remaining studying the proposed amendments to the Rice Tariffication Regulation (RTL) that empowers the Nationwide Meals Authority to import rice when the nation is low on inventory, subsequently defending customers from ballooning costs.
“We like to have a look at all these approaches,” Romualdez stated in a press convention on Thursday, June 6.
“We’re going to use all choices or the whole arsenal – from laws to tariff fee reductions – as a result of that’s what we’re right here for. We’re right here to verify… that each Filipino, each household desk in each home has entry to high quality rice at inexpensive costs on a regular basis, all yr spherical,” he added.
Romualdez, along with Home agriculture chairperson Mark Enverga, Home Appropriations Committee Chairman Zaldy Co, and Home deputy majority chief for communications Erwin Tulfo, met with business stakeholders on the Manila Golf Membership on Thursday. Deputy customs commissioner Vener Baquiran, Commerce assistant Agaton Teodoro Uvero, and Agriculture undersecretary Christopher Morales joined the assembly with the SM Group and Puregold representatives.
LOOK | Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez met with officers from Bureau of Customs, Division of Agriculture, Division of Commerce and Business, SM Group and Puregold Shops to debate methods on find out how to convey down the value of rice within the nation.
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— Martin Romualdez (@SpeakerMartinPH) June 6, 2024
The federal government is focusing on to promote rice for as little as P29 per kilo inside 2024, the Nationwide Financial and Improvement Authority stated, only a peso cheaper than what the federal government beforehand eyed – P30 per kilo by July.
That is near President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s marketing campaign promise of bringing rice costs all the way down to P20 per kilo.
Reducing down tariff charges would imply round a P5 to P6 low cost for customers, though Tulfo identified that this could nonetheless rely on how the nation’s overseas alternate fee performs out.
“We’re anticipating that we are going to really feel the affect on this tariff discount as quickly as potential, perhaps earlier than the SONA (State of the Nation Deal with),” stated Romualdez.
The Home chief additionally tried to dispel woes that slashing the tariff fee would imply that extra imports would flood the Philippine market. “The fixed move of rice might be simply as regulated.”
“We’re solely lowering the tariff fee, so we’ll proceed to guard our farmers by way of subsidies,” Romualdez added.
Enverga added that the Division of Agriculture has mechanisms to guard farmers, particularly throughout their harvest season, so {that a} ceiling might be enforced on bringing in provide from abroad.
Penalizing Filipino farmers?
Farmer teams have opposed the tariff minimize, emphasizing that lowered rice tariffs within the final 4 years from non-ASEAN international locations haven’t resulted to lowered rice costs.
“As with all earlier tariff reductions, a brand new spherical of tariff cuts might be ineffective as our overseas rice suppliers merely improve their costs,” a joint assertion of 12 farmer teams learn.
The teams additionally insisted that financial savings from decrease tariffs, if any, didn’t consequence to decrease rice costs.
“They merely change into further income of importers and merchants,” the teams stated. – Rappler.com
