Photo Release

New salient features: Sen. Cynthia A. Villar underscores significant features of Agricultural Tariffication Act as she sponsors Senate Bill No. 2779 or An Act Amending Republic Act No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 11203. During Tuesday’s plenary session, August 13, 2024, Villar enumerated the new salient features of the bill which include: Extension for another 6 years or until 2031; total amount covered: P30-billion sourced from tariff on imported rice and any deficiency shall be supplemented by the GAA; strengthening the DA Bureau of Plant Industry regulatory functions including registration and data basing of all grains warehouses; empowering the DA secretary to respond to a declaration of rice food shortage and extraordinary increase and rice prices, where DA can sell through government agencies such as hospital gears and Kadiwa outlets, and replenish through the procurement of locally produced rice from farmers and farmers’ cooperative; DA to import when there is no available locally produced rice and to designate an importing authority except the NFA, the proceeds of sale shall revert to the buffer fund; disposal of aging stocks with NFA shall be 4 weeks before expiration; the President can prohibit further importation or specify the volume to be imported during the excessive supply of both imported and locally produced rice in the market for a specific period and volume. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)