DA: Toll rebate for agri truckers to benefit consumers

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expecting the recent move to grant toll rate increase rebates to trucks transporting agricultural products to reduce inflationary pressures on food products.

“This move should help reduce price pressures on food products and ease the burden on consumers,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in a statement on Friday. 

On Thursday, the Toll Regulatory Board along with the Department of Finance, the Department of Transportation, the DA and toll roads concessionaires Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) and SMC Tollways officially launched the Agri-Trucks Toll Rebate Program.

Under the program, DA-accredited truckers shall receive rebates equivalent to toll hikes implemented from June 2023, starting June 1, 2024.

“We're very happy with the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and DoTr to provide toll rebates for truckers,” Tiu Laurel said.

The rebate program will initially run for three months and be subject to review for possible extension, depending on the inflationary situation.

The program is seen to benefit 200 to 300 farm product-carrying trucks traversing expressways in both north and south Luzon.

The toll rebate covers users of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX), Subic-Clark Expressway (SCTEX), and Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEX).

In a chance interview with reporters, DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said the rebate program could benefit 956 DA-accredited truckers.

DOF Assistant Secretary Eufrocino Bernabe Jr. earlier said the toll rebate program was intended to bring down the cost of production of agricultural products.

“We don't have an actual study of how much it will bring to inflation. But we expect that the cost of production will be reduced accordingly,” Bernabe said.

While an official computation on the rebate program’s impact on retail prices of food products is yet to be produced, de Mesa said that, on average, transportation costs add around P1.50 to P2.00 in the per kilo retail price of rice.

“That already includes toll and fuel,” the DA spokesperson said.

De Mesa said the impact of the toll rebate program on agri products at the retail level could be felt by at least by the second or third week of June.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News