Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has directed his undersecretaries—particularly those overseeing operations and the National Rice Industry Development Program—to conduct on-the-ground consultations with farmers and lawmakers in preparation for congressional deliberations on the proposed Rice Act.
Secretary Tiu Laurel, currently abroad recovering from a medical procedure, said those tasked to carry out the consultation are undersecretary for operations Roger Navarro, Undersecretary Chris Morales of the NRIDP, National Food Authority administrator Larry Lacson, and Joseph Lo, president of the Food Terminal Inc., the attached corporation of the Department of Agriculture handling rice procurement from the NFA and consigning it to KADIWA ng Pangulo and other government agencies involved in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20 rice program.
“No less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez has endorsed the proposed Rice Act, designating it as House Bill No. 1. This underscores the House of Representatives’ strong commitment to correcting flaws in the Rice Tariffication Law—loopholes that have been exploited by unscrupulous traders to the detriment of our farmers,” he said.
The bill filed by Speaker Romualdez, officially titled the Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, seeks to update RTL and restore the regulatory powers of the NFA to intervene in the rice market and prevent hoarding, profiteering and price manipulation.
Secretary Tiu Laurel said these nationwide consultations will help shape the government’s response to the recent decline palay prices, which threatens to discourage future planting. “Some farmers claim that private traders are blaming the P20 rice program for the drop in prices. That’s simply not true,” he said. “On the contrary, we need to accelerate the expansion of the subsidized rice program. Selling rice at P20 per kilo helps decongest NFA warehouses, allowing us to buy more palay from farmers. Every bag of rice sold at P20 frees up space for two sacks of palay, which we can purchase at better prices than what private traders offer.”
In a recent meeting with farmers, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had assured the NFA will keep buying rice at higher prices and that farmers will not be short changed even if the government sustains the P20 rice program through the balance of his term. Currently, the NFA buys palay at a minimum of P17 per kilo for fresh and up to P24 per kilo for dry.
To support this effort, the agency is acquiring more trucks, upgrading its warehouses, and requesting a larger procurement budget. As of June 30, the NFA already procured 149 percent of its first semester target, stretching the limits of its capacity in response to the clamor farmers for the agency to buy more palay.
Increased importation, however, due to lower tariff and world rice prices have muted the impact of NFA buying activity. Meanwhile, the National Rice Program continues to provide input support, including seeds and fertilizers, and other assistance to farmers, while the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization supplies equipment aimed at reducing production costs and improving yields.
Secretary Tiu Laurel is hopeful the proposed Rice Act would reintroduce some controls over rice importation—currently a critical gap that leaves the Department of Agriculture with limited ability to manage domestic supply. A new Congress convenes on July 28, and the DA is optimistic a new law could be passed, if not this year, then before the first harvest season next year
