THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

NFA tnld tn huy farrnersnpalay harvest

By FulI ffilancaflor
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Dnterte on
Wednesday'ordered the National Food
Authority io buy all the rice harvest of
locat farmers.Iollowing the steep drop of
palay
- prices.
"W; are not wasting money. We are
making'sure our industry does not -qo to
waste," President Duterte said.
"pon't mind if we face bankruptcy. We
collect taxes to help people," he added.
Duterte's directirre' came amict re-
ports that tarmgate prices of palay
droppedto as low as P7 to Pl1 in soilre
provrnces.
: Agriculttqrd Secretary Williarn Dar
said some millers and traders are us-
ing the irnplernentation of the Rice
Tarrification law, which eased policies
on rice imports, as an excuse to hoard.
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he told Palace reporters. that could be used to prcl$eet.frrrncrs

N FA... The Department of Agriculture and the
From Al Department of Trade and Industry will
inspect rice warehouses torensure that
"Even bef,ore the inaction of the traders and millers are "not managing"
Rice Tariffication law, isn't it the palay the harvest, he said.
prices have dropped? So, there are House Committee on Ways and Means
those who abuse it and we see to it that chairman Joey Salceda reminded the
we will apply the full force of the lilw,o' government there are available measures
from the plummeting prices ofpglfoy;'- -,
Salceda said the government could
invoke Republic Act No. 8800 or
the Safeguards Law to imPose 30 to
8O-percent tariff on imported rice outside
the Minimum Access Volume of 350,000
metric tons amid the apparent "surge ofrice
imports and rqiury to domestic industry."

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