It is more fun criticizing
Do not quote me on this. But I was told that importing rice (the legal way, via NFA) is big money for those who give the permit. Smuggling is when you import rice without passing through the NFA. I was told that it cost millions to get permit to import.
Thus the agencies involved in rice would always say there is shortage to resort to importation (we really do not know if there is a shortage, if there is is it a scenario build up so that some people would earn more?)
They would even engage the rice farmers to denounce smuggling so as to check the smugglers (those who do not pass through the proper channels to pay the correct tong.) You know...
