Better monitoring of gains, losses from rice tariffication law pushed

As the implementation of the rice tariffication law (RTL) approaches its third year, an independent research group called on the government to improve its data collection to properly monitor the law’s gains and losses, noting that this was the “first step towards a better policy.”

In a policy note titled “Taking Stock of Rice Industry Statistics Post-RTL,” the Action for Economic Reforms (AER) said the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) data publication was delayed, thus also delaying needed government interventions.

AER noted that with the changing marketing landscape, the sound and timely data infrastructure was crucial to allow the government and the private sector to create decisions accordingly and would also guide stakeholders with their planting and importing intentions.

“A monumental policy reform in 2019 and an unprecedented global pandemic have together necessitated that the government provide more responsive measures to the sector. Thus, more timely data reporting is crucial,” it said.

“One cannot overemphasize the importance of a good set of reliable and timely data in understanding and further analyzing the rice industry so that improved farmers’ productivity and incomes and consumer welfare are ensured,” it added.

AER stressed that in providing short-term relief like cash transfers, targeting farmer-beneficiaries must be guided by a good data set.

For instance, the PSA’s latest Supply Utilization Accounts report covered 2019 but was only published this year in November—or 11 months after the fact. Weekly price monitoring reports for palay, rice and corn are also published three weeks after the period.

AER said these reports were useful to observe general trends in the rice sector, including the rise and fall of import volumes and the seasonal changes in production and prices. To be useful, these data sets must be published more immediately.