The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) denounces the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) absurd proposal to remove brand labels and premium classifications on imported rice. “This move is a shallow attempt to address price manipulation while ignoring the long-standing issues plaguing the rice industry.”
“Removing rice labels will not bring down prices or benefit consumers,” said KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos. “It is a desperate measure that does nothing to address hoarding, profiteering, and the broken promise of lowering rice prices to P20 per kilo.”
“Ang panukala ng DA na alisin ang tatak at label sa imported na bigas ay patunay ng kakulangan nito sa komprehensibong solusyon laban sa manipulasyon sa presyo. Hindi labeling ang problema, kundi ang kawalan ng aksyon laban sa rice cartel, hoarders at profiteers. Mismong ang patakaran ng gobyerno sa importasyon ang nagbigay ng kapangyarihan sa kartel at importer,” says Ramos.
The DA’s flimsy justification—that traders are misleading consumers with branded rice—reflects its failure to regulate and monitor the rice supply chain effectively. Imported rice, even without branding, will remain subject to the same unchecked practices of profiteers and cartels. Meanwhile, local farmers are left to shoulder the burden of a government more focused on imports than supporting domestic production.
Moreover, the government’s kid gloves treatment of scrupulous traders, hoarders, and profiteers, as well as the Department of Agriculture’s inability to crack down on the rice cartel, further deepen the crisis. Instead of taking decisive actions against these exploitative practices, the DA opts for superficial and ban-aid solutions that do not address the root of the problem.
KMP echoes the concerns raised by watchdog group Bantay Bigas, which criticized the government’s reliance on importation and “deceptive” programs like “Sulit Rice” and “Nutri Rice.” These initiatives, launched in Kadiwa centers, fail to address the root causes of high rice prices and the declining support for local palay production.
KMP urges the government to focus on concrete solutions such as increasing farmgate prices for local palay, strengthening post-harvest facilities, and exacting punitive measures vs. erring rice traders and importers. We will push our demand to repeal the Rice Liberalization Law, which has only worsened the plight of Filipino farmers and consumers alike.
“To the DA and Malacanang, enough with the band-aid solutions,” Ramos said. “The government must overhaul its failed agricultural policies and put Filipino farmers and productive sectors at the center of its economic agenda.”
