THE Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Monday blamed rising food imports for the country’s widening agricultural trade deficit, warning that continued import liberalization could further hurt local producers.
“Every time we choose imports over domestic production, we weaken the very producers who are supposed to feed the nation,” Sinag executive director Jayson Cainglet said in a statement.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the agricultural trade deficit widened to $1.06 billion in June from $813.16 million a year earlier. The shortfall, however, was slightly lower than the $1.07 billion recorded in May.
Agricultural imports rose 14.3 percent to $1.77 billion from $1.55 billion a year earlier, while exports fell 3.6 percent to $706.92 million from $732.95 million.
Cainglet said importation was not a long-term solution to inflation or food security, pointing out that greater reliance on foreign supplies could also leave the country more vulnerable to global price shocks.
The trade deficit could widen further amid increased imports of key agricultural commodities, particularly rice, pork and chicken, Sinag said.
The farmers’ group also questioned government policies favoring lower tariffs and increased imports, arguing that these could deepen the country’s dependence on imported food and discourage investment in domestic agriculture.
It urged the government to strengthen domestic production and improve agricultural productivity, citing the high cost of fuel and farm inputs, inadequate infrastructure and competition from subsidized foreign producers as challenges facing Filipino farmers.
The group said imports should complement domestic production rather than replace the country’s capacity to produce its own food.
It likewise called for policies that would restore confidence among local producers and ensure they are not placed at a disadvantage by further import liberalization.
