THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will impose “stricter” rules for the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs), signaling its intent to manage the inflows of imported rice during harvest season, when farmers are vulnerable to price swings when additional volumes enter the market.

“We are issuing a new stricter set of guidelines. We have to mention that all along these (have been in place), just to remind ourselves that we have these rules and we need to reiterate them,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said in a news conference Tuesday.

The guidelines will be released by next week.

“That has been our strategy, (as) we were entering the main harvest (in) October and November, and we implemented strictly the guidelines before any SPSIC is issued. Of course, naintindihan din yan ng importers na wag muna mag-angkat dito sa panahon na yung ating mga magsasaka ay nasa harvest season (we have an understanding with importers not to import during the harvest),” he said.

SPSICs are issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry. BPI granted 3,115 permits to 228 entities starting March, when rice tariffication began, until August. The permits cover 2.776 million metric tons (MMT) of rice, exceeding the Philippines’ 7% import requirement, which is equivalent to 1.5 MMT to 2.4 MMT.

The Philippines can meet about 97% of domestic demand from its farmers’ output, and needs to import the rest.

Asked if the measures will slow down the volume of imports, Mr. Dar said it will depend on how ready importers are to comply.

Separately, Senator Cynthia A. Villar, the head of the chamber’s Committee on Agriculture and Food, said on the sidelines of an event in Manila that rice cartels use imports to control supply and influence the price they need to pay to domestic farmers for their palay, or unmilled rice.

She said she backed the strategy of local government units (LGUs) making direct purchases of palay at fair prices to prop up farmer incomes.

“Kaya parang nagkakagulo dahil yung cartel parang nakokontrol nila ang supply so ngayon ine-encourage na natin yung mga governors na umutang sila sa Land Bank (of the Philippines) [LANDBANK], sila na bumili nung rice at sila na rin maghanap ng market for the rice para matulungan yung ating mga rice farmers” (The market is being disrupted by cartels that control the supply which is why we are encouraging governors to borrow money from LANDBANK so LGUs can buy and find markets for rice to help the farmers), she told reporters.

She said the alleged cartels, based in Central Luzon, are also importing rice to influence the supply.

“Kailangang mag-compete tayo sa kanila kasi parang nakokontrol yung supply of rice. Ngayon naman nag-iimport sila, so medyo i-try natin na i-lessen ang importation,” (We need to compete with the cartels because they can control the supply of rice. Now they’re importing, so we need to try to reduce imports), she said.

Ms. Villar added that in two years, farmers will be in a better situation as the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) helps them increase their productivity.

RCEF, a component of the rice tariffication law, receives P10 billion a year in funding for six years from the proceeds of rice import tariffs, with the fund supporting farm mechanization, credit, seed, training and other measures to improve the industry’s competitiveness. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

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