THE effects of the increased investments in the rice sector under Republic Act (RA) 12078, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, may be felt in a year or two, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
RA 12078, signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., will extend the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) until 2031 and increase its funding from P10 billion to P30 billion annually.
“In the long run, it should be mas mapapababa ang presyo ng bigas dahil if we can produce more through iyong budgets na makukuha na dagdag at mas tumagal pa, then it would be more efficient and we will be producing more per hectare,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
With the P30 billion worth of rice fund, P15 billion will be allocated for extension and training programs, financial assistance for rice farmers, credit, soil improvement, solar-powered irrigation systems, and water impounding projects; P9 billion for farm mechanization; and P6 billion for provision of high-quality rice seeds.
With this in place, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is also expected to distribute 5.5 million bags of rice seeds per year starting in 2027, covering 2.54 million hectares of farmland that could increase yield by 21 percent in both dry and wet seasons.
“Sa ating bagong Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) or expanded RTL, makakasama na iyong soil rehabilitation, iyong additional irrigation na budget na yearly nakukuha. Ang main issue talaga is irrigation at mechanization,” Tiu Laurel added.
Besides these, Tiu Laurel said the amendment will also help curb agricultural smuggling, which is now considered a form of economic sabotage.
Under the amendment, the DA’s regulatory function will be strengthened with the creation and maintenance of a database for all warehouse and storage facilities, providing “comprehensive”
Tiu Laurel said the DA is set to establish a command center in 2025 that will track and monitor supply, intending to eventually include data on all agricultural commodities.
Meanwhile, the DA chief assured continuous government intervention through the Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) Rice for All and P29 programs, which provide cheaper rice for consumers without affecting farmers’ income.
Earlier, the DA expressed plans to launch new varieties of rice under the KNP in 2025, which will be called “nutri” and “sulit” rice.
The nutri rice, described as “brownish,” will be sold at PHP38/kg; while PHP36/kg for sulit rice for white but super broken variety. (PNA)
