NGO hits Agriculture chief for failing to curb rice price hike

MANILA, Philippines - A nongovernment organization on Monday criticized Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap for "harping on increased agricultural output" despite the extended dry spell. Jessica Reyes-Cantos, lead convenor of Rice Watch and Action Network (R1), said Yap has been boasting of increased productivity "while holding our staple food, hostage to volatile fluctuations in international market." Yap announced last week that he will talk to Congress after the Holy Week break to lower the tariff on imported rice and corn to increase the flow of these commodities into the country. "He is now in another barrage of media blitz espousing lower tariff for rice to address the alleged shortage instead of addressing the abnormal increase of prices of rice in the market," Cantos added. El Shaddai help President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Monday sought El Shaddai's help in the impending threat of rising oil prices and depleting supply of rice. Arroyo, after the "Walk of Faith or National Unity," said even Pope Benedict XVI in his Lenten message stressed the need to help the poor. The President urged the El Shaddai members to continue to pray and believe in God in light of the problems in oil and rice. Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo reiterated that the rising price of oil in the world market is beyond the control of the Arroyo administration or any government for that matter. Saludo said the administration, however, have already taken certain measures to cushion its impact through a cut in the oil tariffs and the implementation of fuel discounts and a single ticketing which would help deter any possible fare hike. He said the government has also made available more affordable National Food Authority rice, opened more low-cost food and medicine outlets; reduce power, water and expressway toll rates; boosted farm support to raise rural incomes and food supplies; and fast-tracked infrastructure programs to boost jobs and put more on people's pockets. Negotiations Government negotiators have been asking the World Trade Organization for increased protection for rice and other sensitive products under the Special Products and Special Safeguards Mechanism. "For the information of Yap, tariff is not used to plug shortages that are deemed temporary unless he admits that the country will rely on imports to feed its people. He should ask his agriculture officials who are being paid to study the implications of trade policies like tariff on food security, livelihood security and rural development objectives of the country," Cantos said in a statement sent to media organizations on Monday. Cantos said the government needs to get its act together as Ginintuang Masaganang Ani Rice Program Director Frisco Malabanan boasted of solving the rice shortage through hybrid rice. Nongovernment groups earlier criticized the Agriculture department for subsidizing the hybrid rice seeds of a single company, SL Agritech to encourage the farmers to use these seeds for planting with the promised potential of increase in harvest. Cantos said Yap should investigate the abnormal increase in local prices of rice when the harvest season started last January and the lean months are usually in July to September. She said world price of rice is increasing which made Yap's proposal "ridiculous." GMANews.TV with a report from Sun.Star