The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday backed extending Republic Act 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), as it proposed major amendments to it to benefit farmers.

The DA said its support for the RTL stems from the “lack of significant investments in agricultural infrastructure over the past 27 years.”

It then batted to increase the funds allocated to farmers from the RTL to increase their productivity and competitiveness through mechanization, the use of technology, and the provision of inputs like seeds and fertilizer.

The DA also moved to provide tillers with an expanded network of postharvest facilities like dryers, mills, grain silos and warehouses.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in his report to the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture chaired by Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, said the RTL has provided the farmers with the platform and infrastructure to improve their productivity and incomes.

Laurel said the support for the farmers comes as the freer importation of the staple grain would benefit consumers.

“We recognize that much needs to be done to ensure that we attain the best possible outcome vis-à-vis identified targets under the RTL, given the remaining time we have before the law expires,” he said.

Laurel noted, however, that revisions to the law passed in 2019 are needed because of climate change, which has reduced the frequency of El Niño events to three to five years.

“Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the continuation of the RTL is the way to go. It is incumbent upon us to sustain the gains under RTL, albeit with critical modifications to strengthen it further and ensure optimum impact in its implementation,” Laurel told the lawmakers.

The DA’s proposed major amendments to the RTL include strengthening the role of the National Food Authority as a price stabilizer by restoring its ability to import, if needed, to boost domestic supply but only through the authority of the DA secretary; returning its warehouse registration and monitoring functions; and restoring its power to regulate rice prices and market supply.

The agency requested over P15 billion from rice import tariffs to support programs for financial aid to farmers, for crop variety, water management, irrigation with solar power, and for extending the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) until 2030.

This includes funding for farm equipment, storage, processing, seeds, training, and pest control to improve rice production.

Likewise, the DA moved for the creation of the Rice Industry Development Program Management Office, which will serve as the Secretariat of the RCEF and will coordinate the program’s interventions, monitor and manage a comprehensive database, and ensure its activities are effectively implemented.