WITH AMENDMENTS

House panels OK bill to distribute surplus rice tariff as cash aid to rice farmers

The House of Representatives Committees on Agriculture and Food and Appropriations on Wednesday approved with amendments a proposed measure seeking to distribute as cash assistance the rice tariff collections in excess of P10 billion until 2024.

During the joint meeting of the House panels, House Agriculture Committee chairman Representative Mark Enverga proposed to amend the title of House Bill No. 8964.

“We hope we could amend the title… replacing the word ‘farmers owning’ to ‘farmers farming’ two hectares or less until 2024,” Enverga said.

HB 8964 is originally intended to distribute the amount in excess of the annual P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) derived from tariffs collected on rice imports as cash aid to rice farmers “owning one hectare or less of land.”

Under the Rice Tariffication Law, which was signed in February 2019, the government should earmark P10 billion annually for the RCEF for six years.

The RCEF is earmarked as P5 billion for rice farm machinery and equipment; P3 billion for rice seeds; P1 billion for expanded credit assistance; and P1 billion for rice extension services such as training for farmers.

The amendment to the bill was in response to concerns raised by several lawmakers to allow as many rice farmers to benefit from the cash subsidy as possible.

During the joint meeting, Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan said that if the cash aid will cover only those tilling one hectare or less of land, it will benefit 1,141,661 rice farmers while expanding the hectarage further to two hectares or less will benefit 1,534,941 out of the about 1,954,433 rice farmers registered.

Bacolod City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya, vice chairman of the House Appropriations panel, moved to approve House Bill No. 8964 as amended.

The move was seconded and approved by both the House committees on Agriculture and Food and Appropriations.

“I support the bill as this will give a financial lifeline to our rice farmers,” Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said.

Meanwhile, Reina Cuarez, who represented the Bureau of the Treasury during the meeting, said  the 2019 rice tariff collections amounted to P12.135 billion “so there’s an excess of P2.135 billion.”

For 2020, the total tariff collections from imported rice stood at P16.269 billion “so there will be an excess collection of P6.269 billion.”

Cuarez, however, said the figures are subject to further confirmation of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

Once enacted into law, the first wave of cash aid using RCEF surplus would be included in the proposed 2022 national budget. The same will be provided for in the succeeding years until 2024.

The Senate approved its version of the measure in December last year. — RSJ, GMA News