The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said that Department of Budget and Management Sec. Emilia Boncodin should be taken to task when she said that special consideration would be given to the National Food Authority in relation to its losses amounting to P7.585 billion in 2003. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group, “NFA was not mandated to earn profits but to procure rice from local farmers to ensure food security. But in actuality less than 1% of its mandated 10% rice procurement is being done by the agency, so instead of privatization or anything. More subsidy must be given to the agricultural sector,”

“A concrete suggestion that would have significant effect to farmers would be to increase the rice procurement level of NFA to 25% and ensure that this is met. This would mean that it would have a significant power to influence the price of rice in the market that is now controlled by rice cartels. Also this would mean more farmers produce can be bought at a higher price thereby relatively easing their hardships,” added the peasant leader.

The group also emphasized the fact that rice price and buying is primarily controlled by rice cartels in the country, one in particular is the Binondo 7.

Meanwhile Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, said that allotting more subsidies to the agricultural sector would lessen our importation of rice and would make our country more self-sufficient and relatively more food-secure.

“The move to strengthen our agricultural sector would have a net effect on the whole economy because it is its basis. By allotting more subsidies to agriculture, farmers would have a higher purchasing power and considering that peasants comprise 75% of our population, that would definitely drive the economy to prosper,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 4 October 2004