THE Department of Agriculture (DA) wants Congress to restore the National Food Authority's (NFA) power to import rice to ensure adequate supplies and stable prices for the staple.

The recommendation is part of a report submitted by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. amid legislative deliberations to extend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which is set to expire next year.

The 2019 law, which liberalized rice import by lifting quantitative restrictions on rice, also removed the NFA's regulatory and import licensing functions.

Tiu Laurel said that again allowing the NFA to import rice, but only with approval from his office, would allow the agency to become a "price stabilizer" while avoiding the controversies that have plagued the agency.

"The continuation of the RTL is the way to go," he said.

"It is incumbent upon us to sustain the gains under RTL, albeit with critical modifications to strengthen it further and ensure optimum impact in its implementation."

He also pushed for the extension of the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF) — established under the RTL — to 2030, reallocating funds to improve farm machinery, post-harvest facilities, storage, processing, seed development, and training services.

Tiu Laurel also urged thatrice import tariff revenues exceeding P15 billion be allocated for financial assistance, crop diversification, water impounding and watershed rehabilitation and development, and solar-powered irrigation programs.

Creation of the Rice Industry Development Program Management Office, which will serve as the RCEF secretariat, was also proposed.

"We recognize that much needs to be done to ensure that we attain the best possible outcome vis-a-vis identified targets under RTL given the remaining time we have before the law expires," Tiu Laurel said.

He also said that changes to the law were needed in view of climate change, which increased the frequency of the drought-inducing El Niño weather patterns.

The agriculture chief claimed that hundreds of thousands of farmers had benefited from the RCEF through financial assistance, better seeds, technical services and training as well as farm machinery and equipment.

"I note that the RTL is just one of the progressive efforts undertaken by the government to build productivity and enhance the resiliency of our agriculture sector and the economy in general," Tiu Laurel continued.

"It is an imperative given that Philippine agriculture faces both the challenges of the volatilities caused by global conflicts and the difficulties posed by climate change and natural calamities."