Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the effective implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) with a P10-billion annual allocation will be a gamechanger in improving the productivity and profitability of rice farming in the next six years.
“We are confident that farmers in the 947 municipalities in 57 rice-producing provinces, where the Rice Competitive Enhancement Program (RCEP) is implemented, can make a big difference in making the Philippine rice industry competitive versus our counterparts in ASEAN,” said Secretary Dar, during the 2019 National Food Security Summit, held October 29-30, at the Land Bank Plaza, Manila.
“The current dry season crop, this fourth quarter of 2019 through first quarter of 2020, serves as a template for the succeeding seasons as we implement the four major RCEP components in program sites,” the DA chief added.
He said the rice subsector, boosted by the RCEP, will further solidify its role as a major contributor in propelling the growth of the country’s agriculture sector.
The RCEP aims to reduce the average production cost of palay (unmilled rice) from the current P12 per kilogram (kg) to P8/kg by 2025 through various interventions under the Rice Tarrification Law that allots a yearly P10-B RCEF.
Of the total, P5 B will be set aside for farm machinery, P3B for inbred rice seeds, and P1B each for credit, and training and extension.
During the Summit, he asked concerned DA officials to be objective and transparent to ensure that farm machinery and equipment given to farmers are appropriate and comply with the standards.
“With the new thinking for agriculture, we will be able to unlock the potentials of Philippine agriculture so that it’s contribution to the economy will be much bigger,” Dar said.
We aim for a modest two per cent growth, from August 2019 to July 2020,” said Secretary Dar.
The DA chief also believes that doubling the incomes of small farmers and fisherfolk in five years is doable.
“Reducing the production cost of rice and other major farm and fishery will subsequently increase the incomes of farmers and fisherfolk, thus our battlecry: Masaganang ani at mataas na kita,” he added.
“Kung tayo ay sama-sama sa magandang implementasyon ng lahat ng banner programs ng Department of Agriculture, of course with the projects that the local government units are implementing, then we will turn the tide against the very anemic growth of this sector,” Dar said. ###(Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
