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Humabol:
Bust rice cartels
By KIT BAGAIPO
Militant
farmers belonging to the Hugpong sa mga Mag-uumang Bol-anon
(Humabol)
are calling for the government to take quick and serious steps
in busting rice cartels and solve the country's food security
problem.
The
farmers demanded that government agencies, particularly the
National Food Authority (NFA) and the Department of Agriculture
(DA) be strengthened to immediately solve the rice crisis.
In
a press statement, Humabol chair Ruben Sabior said that farmers
want the government to dismantle the cartels and upset big
rice traders by direcly buying in volume from the farmers
at a higher farmgate price than what the traders are offering.
They
aslo want the government to immediately "go after and
punish the rice hoarders" and "corrupt officials
including those who are involved in government project"
kickbacks.
The
militant Bohol farmers pointed out its 3-point policy that
would facilitate Bohol's transition to secure and stable food
supply.
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Humabol
demands the country's immediate pull out from the World
Trade Organization (WTO) policies on agriculture particularly
the rice trade liberalization, the immediate cancellation
of the land use conversion programs and the re-alignment
of the debt-servicing and military budget to agricultural
services and food production.
According
to the group, the government's entry into the WTO and
the implementation of liberalization on rice trading
primarily affected farmers.
"The
government has depended on rice importation rather than
strengthening the local agriculture and rice production,"
Sabior claimed.
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Meanwhile,
economists in the country said a Philippine pullout from the
WTO policy on rice trade liberalization means only sourcing
out our rice supplies from local sources.
This
would be so, even if it would cost more for the country, as
production costs here is expensive.
Humabol
however hope that by this, farmers can sell their rice at
a higher price compared to ones with the cheaper imported
rice in the markets.
On
land conversion, the group said that a large part of agricultural
lands have been converted into commercial, residential and
industrial zones instead of being utilized for rice production.
The
group also slammed conversion of lands into oil palm plantations
and the policy that opens up agricultural lands to industrial
zones and the plantations of jathropa for bio-fuels.
The
farmers group is also asking the government to implement the
genuine land reform law through the immediate approval of
HB 3059.
The
house measure is the corrective version of the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), which is slated to expire
in June.
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