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The team of Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan has sought the review of the Rice Tariffication Law to identify and amend its provisions that are detrimental to farmers.

The government will distribute direct cash assistance of P5,000 to as many as 59,125 farmers in Nueva Ecija to be funded from the excess rice import tariff collection under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

Three years since the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech), the government agency tasked to mechanize the local rice sector, has only spent merely 6 percent of its total allocation under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

The Philippines is seen importing more rice in the coming months amid expectations of improving economic conditions despite the prolonged pandemic.

Farmers want higher rice tariff on non-ASEAN

The Philippines and China will both keep their statuses as the world’s top rice importers, data from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) showed.

The government intends to halt rice importation during the local harvest season to help protect farmers, according to a Palace official.

The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has confirmed that there has been undervaluation of rice imports in the country and vowed to address the issue. 

          Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which liberalized rice importation in the Philippines and aims to make rice farmers competitive, is approaching its third year of implementation, but the country is still way behind in rice production compared to its neighboring countries.