The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday underscored the need for reforms in the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to better protect Filipino farmers and consumers.

This followed the DA’s participation in a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing where it presented proposed amendments to the RTL.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the reforms are critical to shielding the country’s rice industry, raising farmers’ incomes, and helping them recover from the impact of “unregulated” rice imports.

“This should provide opportunities to lower costs and improve efficiency, which would lead to increased rice production and improved food security,” he said, citing “pillars” of RTL reforms.

Key proposals include restoring the National Food Authority’s (NFA) powers through “calibrated” state market interventions, along with its rebuilding and modernization.

Another recommendation is the integration of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) with the National Rice Program to strike a balance between consumer welfare and farmer protection, sustain domestic production, and provide incentives across the rice value chain.

The DA also pushed for a strengthened extension support system to streamline registration and services for Filipino farmers.

In a separate interview, Tiu Laurel confirmed that the agency is set to undergo reorganization, with extension workers to be deployed down to the municipal level after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s approval.

“That is the key to almost anything we want to do. To get to accurate and timely data, to get our programs in place and ma-implement on the ground, maturuan ang mga tao (to train the people),” he said at the sidelines of the Philippine Poultry show and ILDEX Philippines 2025 opening ceremony.

“Ibababa namin (We will bring down) up to 10,000 of our 53,000 strong na mga kasama sa (personnel to the) municipal level.”

At least 6,000 DA staff are expected to be reassigned from regional offices to the municipal areas by the end of the year.

He said the personnel would monitor the situation on the ground for rice, poultry, and high-value crops, among others.

Tiu Laurel also backed Senator Francisco Pangilinan’s plan to bring back the force of the extension system to the DA, eyeing about 20,000 extension staff. (PNA)