President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Wednesday to buy all palay harvest this season as number of farmers complained of low prices for their produce due to the rice tariffication law.
The chief executive insisted to buy the farmers produce even
if it would lead to massive loss from the government side.
“The solution should be or will be for the Secretary of
Agriculture to buy all. Magkano ba presyo nila? Bilhin natin. Lugi? Lugi
talaga. Are we wasting money? No. We are not wasting an industry, we are
helping an industry,” Duterte said
“Eh ‘di malugi. ‘Yan man ang… Kaya ako nagkokolekta ng buwis
eh. Kaya ako happy ako pagka nakatsamba ka ng bilyon diyan na tax evader. But I
can satisfy the demands of the people,” he added.
The President, however, noted that DAR and farmers should
compromise for the price arrangement.
“But you cannot demand a price. You arrive at a compromise
of how muchyou are willing to lose a little bit. Huwag naman ‘yang paano. Medyo
tapatan lang basta hindi malugi na ano ‘yung pagod nila but they are
compensated,” he said
Palay prices have declined to as low as P7-P8 a kilo, which
adds suffering to our poor farmers.
Duterte, on the other hand, defended the tariffication
saying it was meant to pave way to cheaper rice prices.
“It is a mode that is intended to serve the greater interest
the majority of the people. So ang solusyon diyan, bilhin natin. Bakit tayo
nagkokolekta ng taxes? Para malugi. Para makatulong ka sa… Okay?” the president said
Meanwhile, Dar said 25 provinces had committed to buy palay
at P17 per kilo.
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