AQUINO-ROXAS ADMIN TO STOP RICE IMPORTATION - MAR

Liberal Party vice-presidential candidate Senator Mar Roxas today vowed an Aquino-Roxas administration would stop rice importation and provide additional financial assistance to farmers nationwide to augment their meager earnings.

Roxas noted the importation of rice from countries like Vietnam and Thailand have displaced local farmers who, more often than not, have been forced to sell their rice produce at low costs in response to the competition brought about by the flooding of the market with imported rice.

"Mahalaga na tayong mga Pinoy ang magpapakain sa atin. Mahalaga na tayo ay maging self-sufficient. Sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino-Roxas, uunahin namin ang mga programang magpapahinto sa pag-aangkat ng bigas at magpapatibay sa lokal na sector ng agrikultura (It's important that we Filipinos feed ourselves, that we become self-sufficient. Under an Aquino-Roxas administration, we will immediately stop importing rice)," Roxas said.

The Philippines imported anywhere from 1.5 million to 2.3 million tons of rice every year. The National Food Authority plans to import 2.3 million tons in 2010.

He said budgetary allocation for rice importation could instead be reallocated to fund more credit facilities that provide assistance to farmers. With additional funding, he stressed, farmers would have the resources to purchase additional rice seedlings and other farm implements to improve their produce.

"Importante na palakasin natin ang pautang para sa ating mga magsasaka nang hindi na sila mapipilitang magbenta ng kanilang mga ani sa napakababang halaga. Panahon na para itigil natin ang pananamantala ng mga abusadong negosyante sa ating mga kawawang magsasaka ((It's also important that we improve credit facilities for farmers so they would stop selling their produce at very low prices. It's time we stop cunning traders from exploiting our farmers' plight)," he added.

Roxas likewise said government has to improve irrigation facilities for farmlands, which he said has been a primary concern among farmers. He noted that in Nueva Ecija, only 60% of farmlands are irrigated.

"Kailangan din nating pagtuunan ng pansin ang ating mga irigasyon. Bigyan natin ito ng sapat na pondo nang mas marami pang mga bukirin ang matubigan (We have to give priority to our irrigation. We will provide addition funds so more land could be irrigated)," he said.

Roxas reiterated that an Aquino-Roxas administration would prioritize the needs of the agricultural sector, which he lamented has been neglected by government for decades now.