Senator Raffy Tulfo has called for the review of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) as he expressed alarm that the future of the rice farming industry is in danger because of existing policies.

In his privileged speech, Tulfo said that while RTL had good intentions and ideas, it failed to fulfill its promises.

“The promise of lower rice prices for consumers has not been fully realized. While there have been periods of lower prices, the overall impact on consumer prices has been mixed,” he said.

“Did our farmers’ productivity improve?  That’s the big question. If titignan po ang overall performance, halos wala pong nagbago.  The influx of imported rice has led to a significant drop in the farmgate prices of locally produced rice,” he added.

Tulfo stressed that the farmers who rely on rice farming for their livelihood are now struggling to compete with the cheaper imported rice which has resulted in reduced income for them while also threatening their ability to sustain their farming operations.

“Kaya naman imbis na dumami ang local production tumaas lang ang importation natin (That's why, instead of increasing local production, our importation just went up),” he added.

Tulfo likewise highlighted the need to review the wisdom behind the lifting of the quantitative restriction on rice imports, saying that without the National Food Authority’s (NFA) involvement in rice procurement, traders face no real competition, which enables them to drive down farmgate prices and control market rates.

The Senator from Isabela and Davao said that with RTL, the rice farmers should have already felt the effects of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) but they are still complaining. 

“Ang pagtakda sa RTL na dapat ay inbred rice seed lamang ang pwedeng idistribute ay nagiging problema dahil na-limita ang pagbigay ng ibang mas mahusay na rice seeds tulad ng hybrid rice seeds. Ang hybrid rice seeds ay mas ginagamit sa ibang bansa dahil ang production quality and quantity ay mas mahusay (The provision in the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) allowing only inbred rice seeds for distribution has become a problem because it limits the use of other, more effective rice seeds like hybrid rice seeds, which are more widely used in other countries due to their superior quality and yield),” he said.

In relation to this, Tulfo also discussed the system being practiced by some local government officials in the distribution of fertilizer, seeds, rice credit, and other assistance from the RCEF. 

According to him, he received reports that instead of the farmers benefiting from these programs, some LGU personnel list down their relatives or friends to receive allocations — even if these people don’t own any farmland.

Ultimately, he said that revisions are necessary to address the shortcomings of RTL. “We must strike a balance between liberalizing the rice market and protecting the interests of our local farmers,” he concluded.