Cynthia Villar wants P7B for RCEF under 2025 budget amid cut in rice tariff

Senator Cynthia Villar is pushing for around P7 billion allocation to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the proposed 2025 national budget amid the recent reduction of tariffs on imported rice.

Villar manifested this during the continuation of the Senate finance subcommittee's hearing on the Department of Agriculture's (DA) proposed P200.19 billion budget for 2025, which she presided over.

"I will ask the DA and the mother committee (Senate finance committee) to give me P7 billion to finance the RCEF because they brought the tariff on rice from 35% to 15%," Villar said.

"Because of that, we might only be able to collect P15 billion and we need P30 billion. There is an excess this year, there's a collection of P26 billion. We will be spending P18 billion this year--the P10 billion for RCEF and the P8 billion financial assistance to rice farmers owning two hectares [of land] and below," she said.

With a "shortage" of around P7 billion, Villar said she wants the DA to put the allocation in their proposed 2025 budget to complete the P30 billion funding for RCEF.

Apart from this, Villar announced the granting and the rejection of some of the DA's wishlist for their 2025 budget.

According to the senator, the subcommittee will allow the allocation of P50 million for the creation of a Rubber Research Institute and it will give the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources an additional P150 million funding.

The Senate subcommittee, however, rejected the additional funding for the Bureau of Animal Industry, for the support to food safety, and for the Philippine Carabao Center and National Dairy Authority.

Villar said the funding for these will be included in the proposed Livestock Bill.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Plant Industry's request will be included in the proposed bill which seeks to improve the competitiveness and expansion of the corn industry in the country.

For the DA's request for additional funding for the support to sustainable management of major agricultural crops, Villar said they will retain the existing budget and it will not be transferred to the funding for high-value crops.

The proposed National Fisheries Research and Development Study was likewise rejected, Villar said, except for the salt fund which will be derived from tariffs from imported salt.

"Use this for the development of the salt industry,"she said.

The DA's proposed budget is deemed approved at the committee level.—AOL, GMA Integrated News