AT LEAST 38 rice-producing provinces and a city will have competitive advantage over Thailand and Vietnam in rice production with the 35 percent tariff on rice imports and the lifting of quantitative restrictions, the National Economic and Development Authority said.
Results of the preliminary analysis conducted by the Neda and the natural resources and environment staff showed that the rice production in at least 39 areas would remain competitive with a P4.00 per kilogram cost advantage over rice imports with tariff of 35 percent.
“Rice per kilogram in these areas will be P4 cheaper compared with Thai and Vietnamese rice. And these provinces can produce about 73 percent of the total food requirement of the country,” Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.
The areas include Nueva Ecija, Kalinga, Pampanga, Bataan, Biliran, Bulacan, Zamboanga del Sur, Isabela, Bukidnon, Nueva Vizcaya, Laguna and Pangasinan.
