THE amended Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which took effect on Dec. 25, is a “fitting Christmas gift” to rice farmers and their families, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.
In the revised RTL, or Republic Act 12078, the fund allocation for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) was tripled from P10 billion to P30 billion, and extended by six years to 2031.
The money will be used for rice farming modernization and mechanization, including the utilization of technological advancements in production to boost efficiency and output. These will minimize losses and boost income of farmers, and rice to become more affordable to consumers.
“We welcome these changes… to allow the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide more funds to fast-track the modernization of the rice industry and significantly improve the lives of millions of Filipino rice farmers and their families,” Laurel said.
The amended RTL also shortens to two months the period for the National Food Authority (NFA) to hold rice for emergency use. These stocks can be available for purchase by the public through Project 29 (rice at P29 per kilogram). However, the law, which still prohibits NFA from selling its buffer stocks to the public, allows the release of rice reserves only in times of emergency.
Nonetheless, the revised RTL grants the DA chief to declare a national food security emergency in times of supply shortage and extraordinary price fluctuations. At the declaration of an emergency, the NFA would be allowed to release buffer stocks to the public and facilitate emergency importation to stabilize rice prices.
Of the P30-billion annual RCEF, P6 billion is earmarked for the purchase of high-quality rice seeds, P9 billion for farm mechanization, and P15 billion for farmer training programs, financial assistance and credit, pest and disease management, soil health programs and infrastructure programs.
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