THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has requested the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release the remaining balance from rice collections in 2024.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the balance should be released to the agency as early as the third quarter to coincide with the planting for the dry season.
Under the amended Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) or Republic Act (RA) 12078, the amount earmarked for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) tripled to P30 billion until 2031 to fund the rice industry’s programs.
Rice tariff collection is appropriated for the RCEF as stipulated under the RTL, geared towards enhancing the competitiveness of the Philippines’ rice sector.
In 2024, the country’s rice tariff collections hit a record P34.23 billion, based on data from the Bureau of Customs (BOC). This figure is around 14 percent higher than the P29.93 billion recorded in the previous year.
De Mesa noted that P10 billion under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) has already been released to the agency. This shows that P24.23 billion remains from the total collected duties last year.
“The DA has already requested the remaining balance,” the DA official told reporters in a press briefing on Wednesday.
De Mesa said around P9 billion will fund mechanization, while P6 billion will be allotted for inbred rice seeds.
The proposed budget allocation for the remaining balance to be allocated to seven projects has been submitted to the DBM, subject to the President’s approval, De Mesa said. He did not disclose the proposed budget for the respective projects.
He noted that the suite of projects includes financial assistance, credit assistance, solar-powered irrigation and soil health improvement, training and extension services, composting facilities, and pest and disease management.
“The [allocation for] contract farming [project] may be separated, since only seven projects have been identified,” De Mesa said.
Under the amended law, farmers registered under the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), along with the cooperatives and associations accredited by the DA, are the beneficiaries of RCEF.
The Philippines imported a record 4.8 million metric tons (MMT) of rice in 2024, based on government data.
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