By Leslie Gatpolintan/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is urging the administration’s leadership to immediately release the PHP10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) that aims to help modernize and boost the productivity of rice farmers.
“It should be released hopefully early third quarter or earlier so needed certified seeds and machinery can be provided in time for the wet season or if not this season, the dry season,” NEDA Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla said in a mobile phone message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.
NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the RCEF needs to be released “fast” to make support readily available to farmers since it is part of the mitigating measures of Republic Act (RA) 11203.
“Also, to catch the next planning season,” Edillon said in a separate message.
RA 11203, or the rice tariffication law, mandates the establishment of an RCEF that guarantees the rice sector a PHP10-billion financial support annually for the next six years beginning 2019.
Edillon said PHP1 billion for credit is already available.
The NEDA official further said the specific implementing guidelines and work program of all concerned agencies are being finalized.
“There is a tech budget hearing of DA (Department of Agriculture) at DBM (Department of Budget and Management) today and probably it will be tackled,” she added.
Based on the law’s implementing rules and regulations signed by NEDA, the DBM, and the DA, half of the rice fund amounting to PHP5 billion annually will be used to procure rice farm equipment by the government through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).
Equipment such as tillers, tractors, seeders, threshers, rice planters, harvesters, and irrigation pumps will be given as a grant-in-kind primarily for eligible farmers, rice farm associations, and registered rice cooperatives.
Under the rice tariffication law, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in his Facebook post Monday, said PHP3 billion of the RCEF is allocated for inbred seeds to be handled by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and PHP1 billion for credit.
The remaining PHP1 billion is earmarked for technical skills development and training to be handled by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (PHP700 million); PhilRice (PHP100 million); PhilMech (PHP100 million); and Agricultural Training Institute (PHP100 million), he said.
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