Food security emergency on rice to stay pending RICE law —DA

The food security emergency on rice, declared in February last year, will remain in place pending the enactment into law of a measure amending the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

“As of the moment habang wala pa ‘yung bagong RICE Act natin, it should stay in effect dahil kailangan natin ma-manage mabuti ang rice supply and demand,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters on Friday.

(As of the moment, while the new RICE Act is not yet passed, it should stay in effect because we really have to manage rice supply and demand.)

The Agriculture  chief was referring to the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, which seeks to restore the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure stable rice supply and pricing while safeguarding the welfare of both farmers and consumers. 

The measure proposes to re-empower the NFA with key functions such as registration, licensing, and supervision of rice industry participants; inspection of warehouses and storage facilities; seizure of hoarded rice and grains; strategic buffer stock management; and regulation of rice importation and exportation.

In February last year, Tiu Laurel declared a food security emergency on rice to allow the release of rice buffer stocks held by the NFA to stabilize prices and ensure that rice remains accessible to consumers.

The RTL authorizes the Agriculture chief to declare a food security emergency in response to high prices and to direct the NFA to release buffer stocks to government agencies, local government units, and the KADIWA ng Pangulo program to stabilize the rice price. —VAL, GMA Integrated News