MANILA – Agriculture group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Sunday said there is no problem with the government’s plan to import more rice as long as it is calibrated during the lean months.

In a telephone interview with ABS-CBN News, Sinag President Rosendo So said the stocks of local rice millers are low and harvests will not start until mid of October.

"Wala namang problema kung mag-import, lean months naman and taniman ng mga magsasaka,” So said.

“Basta calibrated import para hindi naman malugi ang ating mga magsasaka,” he added.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said there is a need to import rice following the devastation of Typhoon “Egay” on agriculture and potential impact of El Niño dry weather on the local harvest and about other suppliers.

• Marcos says rice prices may rise amid typhoon damage on crops, El Niño

“Ang hirap nito because yung palay, iniisip ko na ang supply natin ‘pag nag El Niño talaga. I’m thinking about the national supply for rice because iniimport lahat ng Indonesia, nagsara ang Vietnam, India nagsara. We have to start importing already,” Marcos said during his visit in typhoon-hit Cagayan.

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said that as of July 28, agricultural damage in the province has reached over P539 million.

So, however, noted that the imported rice will be expensive.

“Based on world market talaga, grabe ang presyo, tumaas pa ng 60 dollars per metric ton so we expect na ‘yung imported na papasok eh mataas ang presyo -- minimum ‘yan nasa P45 to P46 per kilo,” So said.

He said the start of harvest season will be third week of October.

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