From left to right: Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, Program Head, RDD, SEARCA; Dr. Ramon L. Clarete, Professor, UPSE; Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, Senior Research Fellow, PIDS; Mr. Jose Ma. Luis P. Montesclaros, Associate Research Fellow, NTU; Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director, SEARCA; Ms. Jansinee Kankaew, Head of Implementation, APTERR Secretariat; Mr. Jerry E. Pacturan, Country Programme Officer – Philippines and Myanmar, IFAD Asia Pacific Division; Mr. Cresente C. Paez, Director, Cooperative Development Program, AFA; Ms. Bernice Anne C. Darvin, Program Specialist, RDD, SEARCA
MAKATI CITY, Philippines. In order to provide a multi-stakeholder perspective on the current issue of rice tariffication, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research and Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Research and Development Department (RDD), hosted a parallel session entitled, “Regional Implications of the Philippine Rice Tariffication Law”, during the Inaugural Rice Research Symposium of the World Rice Conference (WRC) organized by the The Rice Trader (TRT) on 13 November 2019 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Republic Act 11203, otherwise known as the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), has recently been passed in the Philippines with the purpose of lifting existing quantitative import restrictions on rice. With the current influx of imported rice and the consequent plunge in domestic farmgate prices, the RTL has amassed mixed reactions from various stakeholders of the local rice industry, raising the question as to whether it is indeed beneficial for the Philippine rice industry. Nonetheless, the current push for the establishment of an ASEAN common market has steered regional strategies toward promoting and strengthening intra-ASEAN trade and market integration.
The parallel session aimed to assess the policy implications on regional trade, rice reserves, food security, agriculture and rural development, and rice farmers’ income and competitiveness in relation to the implementation of the RTL.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, emphasized that need to make people more aware of what the RTL is about, especially the farmers. Farmers and consumers are mostly concerned with the price of rice and therefore we need to discuss and determine the “right price and the right rice”. The medium by which people are informed about the RTL is likewise of crucial importance to ensure that stakeholders are given the proper information about the law.
Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, Senior Research Fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) served as the session’s Technical Coordinator. In his keynote presentation entitled, “Is tariffication in trouble?” Dr. Briones provided an overview of the immediate aftermath and potential long-term impact of rice industry liberalization in the Philippines. He said that despite the immediate decline in farmgate and retail prices of rice, the implementation of the RTL or liberalization of the industry, in the long-term, can benefit the society as a whole.
In terms of regional trade, Dr. Ramon L. Clarete, Professor from the UP School of Economics (UPSE), said that with the liberalization of rice import policies in the Philippines, we can possibly experience an increase of around 10% in rice imports for local consumption. Moreover, the expected boost in productivity and efficiency in rice farming (i.e., milling and logistics) will encourage modernization and farm aggregation as part of the productivity effect of import liberalization.
A U-shaped “love-hate relationship” is how Mr. Jose Ma. Luis P. Montesclaros described food security in Southeast Asia. The associate research fellow from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore claimed that climate change and the failure of rice production systems to upgrade or adapt has caused a sudden reversal of the state of undernourishment in the region. In addition, he cited the lack of exposure to trade competition in markets, caused by quantitative restrictions such as the import quotas, has prevented rice production systems to upgrade and adapt.
The RTL’s implications on regional rice reserves were discussed by Ms. Jansinee Kankaew, Head of Implementation of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserves (APTERR) Secretariat. According to Ms. Kankaew, the RTL has significantly affected the operations of the National Food Authority (NFA), which is APTERR’s counterpart in the Philippines. With NFA losing its importing capacity, the implementation of the APTERR Tier 1 programme between the Philippines and Japan might be at risk.
Mr. Jerry E. Pacturan, IFAD’s Country Programme Officer for the Philippines and Myanmar, provided his views from the development sector. Looking at the broader perspective of selected ASEAN countries, he stressed that rapid rural transformation is indeed happening in the region. In support of the implementation of the RTL, Mr. Pacturan claimed that the positive implications of the RTL as indeed for the benefit of the country. He said that with the tariffication resources must be used to support increasing productivity, farm consolidation, and mechanization in the rice sector. With a more responsive strategy for the rice industry, the government will be able to refocus its resources toward the diversification of the agricultural sector and provide equal attention to other high value crops with competitive advantage.
To voice out the sentiments of the local farmers, Mr. Cresente C. Paez, Director of the Cooperative Development Program of the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), warned us about the impacts of the RTL to our farmers if the law is not properly calibrated. He said that the issues and challenges that farmers face every cropping season in relation to market and environmental risks, market power, and governance, were not addressed head-on in the RTL. Moreover, appropriate safeguards and safety nets for the protection of local farmers and consumers must be put in place.
To close, Dr. Briones said that on the regional level, although the Philippines may become the world’s biggest rice importer soon, it will not be much of a shock to the world rice market as during that of the 2008 crisis. The discussions on the regional implications of the RTL seemed to look more on the long-term. If other countries would follow the same step that the Philippines took with the liberalization of its rice industry and open up rice trade, then rice supply may be secured for the region in the foreseeable future.