Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food chairperson Cynthia A. Villar requested that the Department of Budget and Management to allocate additional funds for rice farmers until the rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF) takes effect.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Aug. 14, Ms. Villar said that she asked Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno to set aside P10 billion annually for rice farmers until the tariff collected from imported rice arrives.
“I’m telling the DBM secretary he has to provide that for this budget for next year. He should anticipate it […] because even with the tariff, it will not be enough [to support the farmers],” she added.
“The RCEF should come from the tariff but the tariff is still flying so they should just give P10 billion while the tariff isn’t there. But once it’s here, the tariff will be used.”
The RCEF is a proposal under the House Bill 7735, or the Revised Agricultural Tariffication Act, which will remove the quantitative restriction on rice imports in exchange for higher tariffs.
The bill also seeks to restore the restore the minimum access volume of 350,000 metric tons, which was last imposed in 2012, at a 40% tariff rate. Any volume above this will have a 180% rate.
The fund will be used to further improve the capacity of rice farmers through mechanization, scholarship, and other extension services.
Ms. Villar said that the bill, which passed the second reading in the House of Representatives last week, is set to be passed as soon as possible “because we’ll be penalized by November if we didn’t liberalize.”
The senate version, on the other hand, has not yet passed the committee level. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

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