Senator Cynthia Villar on Friday warned that without the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund, farmers will lose more under a tariffied system.
“Now that Philippine authorities can no longer limit the entry of imported rice, we impose tariffs and collect the amount to spend for programs that will help improve our farmers’ productivity and profitability under the RCEF,” Villar said.
He reminded parties opposing the law enacted as government’s response to the expiration of the quantitative restriction on rice importation to also consider the plight of local farmers who stand to lose more as cheap rice imports start flooding the market without any support program in place.
Villar, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, noted that after becoming a member of the World Trade Organization in 1995, the Philippines secured a preferential trade deal in the form of the quantitative restriction on rice importation.
