AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.’s meetings with Sen. Francis Pangilinan and Quezon 1st District Rep. Mark Enverga included the proposal to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), the Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday.
Pangilinan and Enverga are the respective agriculture committee chairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Tiu Laurel said his discussions with Pangilinan at the DA office on Monday focused on the risks that the country’s rice sector is facing with the current version of the RTL.
Clipped powers of the DA, particularly those of the National Food Authority (NFA), arising from the enactment of the RTL in 2019, had led to unregulated importation of cheaper and high-quality rice, and shifting consumer preferences, Tiu Laurel pointed out, adding that the NFA had also suffered from reduced milling and drying capacity.
Likewise, the DA has limited authority to set a floor price for palay (unmilled rice), manage buffer stocks, and stabilize markets, Tiu Laurel said.
Stop rice imports
Meanwhile, Enverga’s earlier insights helped the DA to recommend a temporary stop to rice imports.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a 60-day halt on rice shipments into the country starting Sept. 1.
The DA hopes the proposed RTL amendments are enacted into law before the next harvest season in M arch next year, Tiu Laurel said, noting that ”if we could convince President Marcos to certify a bill that includes all amendments as urgent, then we should get this passed sooner.”
Following his meeting with Pangilinan, Tiu Laurel said: ”We are confident [to] secure the backing of the Senate for amendments that could ensure the modernization of the rice industry and the agriculture sector.”
Same priority
For his part, Pangilinan said Tiu Laurel’s vision for the agriculture sector aligns with his dream of a food-secure Philippines.
“We don’t only share the same name — we also share the same vision for Philippine agriculture. We have the same priority, especially on the revision of the Rice Tariffication Law,” Pangilinan pointed out.
He noted that a lot of things need to be fixed in the current version of the RTL, particularly the support for farmers and fisherfolk, and the contribution of cooperatives in increasing yield and boosting farm productivity.
Tiu Laurel and Pangilinan also talked about the Sagip Saka program, an initiative implemented through a law that Pangilinan authored to help farmers and fisherfolk increase farm productivity and their income, and bridge gaps through partnerships.
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