Latest news with #RiceTarifficationLaw
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Philippine lawmaker seeks prioritisation of rice tariff law amendments
FILE PHOTO: A farmer walks along a paddy field on a rice terrace in Banaue, Ifugao province, the Philippines, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Rice prices have remained volatile, while the influx of cheap imported rice has displaced locally produced varieties. - Bloomberg MANILA: Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos has urged colleagues in the House of Representatives to prioritise deliberations on proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), to ensure sustained availability of affordable rice in public markets. In a statement on Monday (July 21), Santos said the benefits promised under the RTL—such as lower rice prices and improved support for local farmers—have not materialised, highlighting the need for revisions to the law. Santos noted that rice prices have remained volatile, while the influx of cheap imported rice has displaced locally produced varieties. 'We have not felt the promised benefits of the Rice Tariffication Law. Rice prices failed to decrease significantly, and our farmers' lives became harder,' he said. According to Santos, amending the law would enable the government to prioritise local production, restore the National Food Authority's (NFA) authority to purchase unhusked rice from local farmers, and maintain a buffer stock that could be utilised beyond emergencies. During the 19th Congress, the House approved on third reading a proposal to amend the RTL, which seeks to restore some of the NFA's functions. House Bill No. 10381 was approved in May 2024, with 231 lawmakers voting in favour, three against, and one abstaining. House leaders, including 19th Congress Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, believe the amendments could lower rice prices by P10 (US$0.18) to 15 per kilogram. However, the bill faced opposition in the Senate due to concerns that restoring some of the NFA's mandates might lead to renewed corruption. Quezon 1st District Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, former chair of the House committee on agriculture and food, assured that this would not happen since the NFA would play a limited role in importation. Enverga also said they intended to brief senators on the proposal, noting he understands the concerns raised by Villar and other senators. Villar, along with several senators in the 19th Congress, warned against amending RA 11203, noting that the law barred the NFA from importing and selling rice precisely due to rampant corruption within the agency. For the 20th Congress, Romualdez has proposed to 'strengthen the regulatory powers' of the NFA through House Bill (HB) No. 1, also known as the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act. According to a copy of the bill, the NFA's regulatory authority would be reinforced by amending Republic Act No. 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, which was later amended by the RTL. Romualdez said House Bill No. 1 and House Bill No. 14, the proposed Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation Act, will support the administration's food security programme and aid the Benteng Bigas Meron Na initiative, which is anchored on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s campaign promise to bring down rice prices to 20 per kilogram. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
GMA Network
22-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Bill seeking regulatory, marketing powers for NFA almost ready — DA
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Sunday said it is almost done with a draft bill that aims to restore critical functions of the National Food Authority (NFA), particularly in stabilizing rice supply and prices in the country. In a news release, the DA said the proposed bill 'reflects a strategic recalibration of government policy, reinforcing the DA's role in safeguarding food security and reviving the NFA's capacity to act decisively during periods of price volatility and supply disruptions.' 'This is one of several measures House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez asked the DA to craft to help the government advance its food security agenda—particularly the program of President Marcos to sustain P20-per-kilo rice for vulnerable sectors through 2028,' said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. According to the DA, the bill seeks to amend key provisions of the Rice Tariffication Law to grant certain regulatory powers to the NFA so it could better manage buffer stocks, regulate rice distribution and marketing, set a floor price for palay, and support farmers' cooperatives and recipients of Rice Processing Systems funded under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. The DA added the bill will also refine protocols for a DA-led rice importation to ensure the country can respond swiftly to supply shortages and sudden spikes in commodity prices. 'Critically, the measure grants the NFA greater flexibility in managing the appropriate level of buffer stock and ensuring that they are always of optimum quality—an essential tool in supporting not only the P20-per-kilo rice goal but also broader government efforts to ensure price stability and protect both producers and consumers,' the department said. 'These changes will significantly address market inefficiencies and promote fairness—especially for farmers who work the land for months but remain the most disadvantaged,' said NFA Administrator Larry Lacson. 'For the NFA, this means becoming more efficient, more responsive, and financially stronger.' —RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
10-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DA urges next Congress to restore NFA's key powers
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said it will call on the upcoming 20th Congress, which would convene in late July, to restore key powers to the National Food Authority (NFA) in a bid to revitalize its financial and logistical capabilities and help improve rice farmers' profitability. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that allowing the NFA to sell even its non-aging rice inventory would give the agency greater financial flexibility and free up warehouse space—enabling it to procure more palay from farmers at better prices. The NFA is seeking to double its palay procurement budget to P18 billion for 2026, which would allow it to purchase up to 10% of the country's harvest and build up buffer stocks for disaster response and price stabilization. 'If the NFA is allowed to sell rice stocks promptly—especially through initiatives like President Marcos' P20 per kilo rice program—we can reinvest the funds to buy more palay at fairer prices," Tiu Laurel said. As chairman of the NFA Council, the Agriculture chief said that with enhanced legislative authority, higher operational efficiency, and sustained increase in budget, the NFA could eventually buy up to 30% of the national harvest—enough to meaningfully influence farmgate prices and stabilize the market. Tiu Laurel lamented that unscrupulous rice traders have taken advantage of the NFA's weakened mandate to shortchange farmers, sometimes offering to buy palay at below production cost. He said the DA will also push for the restoration of the regulatory powers of the NFA to strengthen the its role in the rice sector by enabling it to help rein in excessive retail prices and protect consumers from market abuse. The Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) has stripped the NFA's market intervention and regulatory powers, making it a buffer-stocking agency —limited to buying rice from local farmers for emergency use. Before the RTL took effect in 2019 and its amended version this year, the NFA could import rice to augment supply, allowing it to maintain a healthier buffer stock and intervene when prices surged. Under the amended RTL, the agency may only dispose of rice stocks through auction when the rice is aging (two to three months post-milling), during a declared food security emergency, or in the event of a calamity or emergency. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
09-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DA eyes more locations for P20/kilo rice
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to release the P20-per-kilo rice in more locations in the near term, in line with its goal for a nationwide release by January 1, 2026, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday. In a radio interview, Tiu Laurel said there are now nearly 80 KADIWA or Katuwang sa Diwa at Gawa para sa Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita Centers that are currently selling rice at P20 per kilo. 'Sa Cebu meron na, Bacolod, susunod is Siquijor tapos baka Bohol then CamSur (Camarines Sur) magkakaroon din. San Juan sa Metro Manila and Navotas, malapit na rin,' he said in an interview on GMA Super Radyo dzBB. (Cebu already has, Bacolod, Siquijor will be next then maybe Bohol then CamSur will also have. San Juan in Metro Manila and Navotas are also soon.) This comes as the administration seeks to lower the price of commercial rice, with the P20-per-kilo rice — a campaign promise of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. during his presidential run in 2022 — being sold in KADIWA Centers starting in May, with the pilot set to go through December. The DA earlier said it plans a nationwide rollout on January 1, 2026, but in the meantime, the P20-per-kilo rice will be available in KADIWA Centers and through local government units. Under the program, the government is set to procure rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) at P33 per kilo. These will then be sold at P20 per kilo, with the P13 per kilo subsidy to be shared by the national government and the local government units at P6.50 each. Tiu Laurel in January said the NFA is set to buy at least 300,000 metric tons of rice this year, with optimism that the country will hit a record for palay production. 'Pasensya na ho sa mga mamamayan at kailangan lang namin ma-implement ito stage by stage dahil may mga kulang pa rin kaming logistics tulad ng truck, katulad ng driver, pero 'yung bigas marami naman ho,' Tiu Laurel said. (Apologies to our countrymen as we just really need to implement this stage by stage because we still lack logistics like trucks and drivers, but we have a lot of rice.) DA monitoring shows that prices of local commercial rice in Metro Manila markets range from P38.17 per kilo to P57.73 per kilo as of June 4, 2025. Moving forward, Tiu Laurel said it would be better for the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to be amended to bring back the authority of the NFA to sell rice directly to markets, which is now only possible through the declaration of the food security emergency on rice. 'Isa pang problema, kung ma-lift 'yun, titigil 'yung programa natin kaya kailangan talaga maamyendahan ito,' he said, noting that the DA is still studying the rules and legalities of the matter. (One more problem is that if [the food security emergency] is lifted, the [P20-per-kilo rice] program will stop so we really need to amend [the RTL].) The RTL, which took effect on March 5, 2019, allows unlimited importation of rice as long as private sector traders secure a phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry and pay the 35-percent tariff for shipments from neighbors in Southeast Asia. Signed into law by former President Rodrigo Duterte, the law earmarks P10 billion for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), of which P5 billion will be allotted to farm mechanization and P3 billion to seedlings. The fund intends to ensure that rice imports would not drown out the agriculture sector and rob farmers of their livelihood. 'Kailangan ho nating maamyendahan 'yung RTL. Hindi namin sinasabi 'yung RTL ay mali totally, hindi ganon ang posisyon ng DA. Kailangan maibalik 'yung natanggal,' Tiu Laurel said. (We need to amend the RTL. We are not saying the RTL is totally wrong, that is not the position of the DA. Those that were removed must be returned.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
04-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Romualdez eyes legislation to make P20-per-kilo rice sustainable
Speaker Martin Romualdez said Wednesday that he will sponsor at least six measures to ensure that the provision of the P20 per kilo rice will become permanent. Romualdez made the announcement after his meeting with Agriculture Secretary Francisco 'Kiko' Tiu Laurel Jr. and Agriculture Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Alvin John Balagbag, assuring support to the following priority measures that the Department of Agriculture (DA) deems essential to make the P20 per kilo permanent: amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) by restoring key regulatory powers to the National Food Authority (NFA) to stabilize prices and protect local production Livestock Development and Competitiveness Act Philippine Corn Industry Development Act Onion Research Center Act Amendments to Republic Act 7308 or the Seed Industry Development Act of 1992 and Amendments to the Local Government Code to strengthen agricultural extension services at the LGU level. 'These are not just bills — they are blueprints for lasting change. I will personally sponsor these measures to institutionalize President Marcos' vision of affordable rice for all and stronger support for our farmers,' Romualdez said. 'Legislation is the strongest tool we have to make this program permanent. Sisiguruhin natin na may P20 per kilo na bigas sa merkado para sa mga nangangailangan. We will build a system where affordable rice is not a seasonal miracle, but a daily reality,' Romualdez added. (We will ensure that P20 per kilo rice will be available for those in need.) Also present during the meeting include: House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Mark Enverga of Quezon, House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe of Zamboanga city, Deputy Speaker David 'Jay-jay' Suarez of Quezon, Camiguin Representative Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, Surigao del Sur Representative Johnny Pimentel, Deputy Speaker Antonio 'Tonypet' Albano of Isabela, House Secretary General Reginald 'Reggie' Velasco, and Isabela Governor Rodito Albano III. Romualdez said that the farmers cannot be asked to feed the nation when they are deprived of better seeds, tools, market access, and dignity.' 'Together, we will deliver affordable rice, a stronger agriculture sector, and a future where no Filipino is left behind. Ang P20 kada kilo ng bigas ay hindi lang pangarap. Sa tulong ng batas, determinasyon, at pagkakaisa, gagawin natin itong permanente at tuloy-tuloy,' he added. (The P20 per kilo of rice is not a dream. With the help of the law and our efforts, it will become permanent.) –NB, GMA Integrated News
