Piñol: Duterte admin to stop rice smuggling, bar private traders from importing the grains

Manila – The administration of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte will bar private traders from importing rice as it aims to stamp out rampant smuggling of the grain, incoming Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said yesterday. The task of importing rice to ensure food security will now be solely in the hands of the state grains agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), said Piñol, a former governor of North Cotabato, in a radio interview after the announcement of his appointment by Duterte on Tuesday. Rice imports are politically sensitive in the Philippines, with the government pushing to keep tariffs high to protect local farmers but also sometimes needing to quickly import thousands of tons to ensure adequate domestic supplies. “The directive of our president-elect is that there will be no more rice importation by the private sector. It will only be the NFA. And I can assure the Filipino people that [...]