Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday outlined before the Senate Committee on Agriculture a set of amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) that are aimed at safeguarding the country’s rice industry, improving food security, and restoring profitability for farmers affected by unregulated rice imports.
Speaking before the committee chaired by Senator Francis Pangilinan, Tiu Laurel said the Department of Agriculture’s reform agenda is not limited to rice farmers, but extends to other stakeholders across the rice value chain—input suppliers, distributors, millers, traders, wholesalers, and retailers—to ensure a more efficient and sustainable system.
“This should provide opportunities to lower costs and improve efficiency, which would lead to increased rice production and improved food security,” the agriculture chief said.
He laid out seven pillars for RTL reform: restoring calibrated state intervention in the market, integrating the budgets for Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund and the National Rice Program, rebuilding a nationwide extension support system, balancing consumer welfare with farmer protection, sustaining domestic production and planting intentions, modernizing and rebuilding the National Food Authority (NFA), and providing meaningful incentives to all players in the rice value chain.
Tiu Laurel also raised alarm over the growing consumer preference for imported rice, which he attributed to price and quality advantages. He warned that this trend could trigger a collapse in palay prices, potentially forcing rice millers to shut down operations and shift to importation.
“This could send palay prices crashing, and rice millers shutting their facilities and just resorting to importing,” he said, stressing that such a scenario could devastate local rice production and food self-sufficiency.
Beyond restoring the NFA’s regulatory and market intervention powers, Tiu Laurel said it is equally critical to ensure that public investments in rice translate into better outcomes for farmers.
“For 2026, the rice sector will receive a P60 billion budget, and we need to make sure this will lead to higher productivity and income for farmers,” he said.
He urged lawmakers to support a smarter, more integrated approach to rice policy that strengthens domestic capacity while ensuring affordability and access for consumers.
Several senators, including Senate President Francis Escudero, have filed bills and resolutions to reform the rice industry to ensure farmers and consumers welfare.
