By VINCE ANGELO FERRERAS, GMA News

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is urging rice importers to have post-harvesting facilities before they can bring in rice from other countries under the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act.

“Basically, the general idea is that by 2028, if legally feasible, ang pwede lang sana mag-import ng imported rice ay kung sila ay may mill, may drying system, or complete rice processing system,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. at the sidelines of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Food Security Forum.

(Basically, the general idea is that by 2028, if legally feasible, the only ones who should ideally be allowed to import rice are those who have a mill, a drying system, or a complete rice processing system.)

“At kailangan mayroon silang nabili sa farmer or may throughput siya, may quantity siyang pinrocess. Hindi lang basta-basta may facility ka. Because that will protect the farmers as well as the consumers,” he added.

(And they must have bought [palay/rice] from a farmer or have a throughput, a specific quantity that they processed. It shouldn’t be that you just simply have a facility. Because that will protect the farmers as well as the consumers.)

The Agriculture chief said that such policy worked with the sugar and marine industries.

“Kung ikaw ay simpleng importer lang ng bigas from other countries na wala kang investment, wala kang binibili, technically, wala kang pakialam sa mga farmers or rice processors,” said Tiu Laurel.

(If you are just a simple importer of rice from other countries without any investment and without buying anything [locally], technically, you don’t care about the farmers or rice processors.)

RICE Act

Once the RICE Act is passed, the DA seeks to release an IRR regarding the requirement for importers to have post-harvesting facilities.

“Sa RICE Act, we are trying to put in the language of the RICE Act parang may phrase that says that. But yung details nun will be an IRR , ilalabas natin once the RICE Act has been passed,” said Tiu Laurel.

(In the RICE Act, we are trying to include phrasing that says something like that. But the details of that will be an IRR , which we will release once the RICE Act has been passed.)

The proposed RICE Act seeks to restore the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority (NFA) to ensure stable rice supply and pricing while safeguarding the welfare of both farmers and consumers.

The measure proposes to re-empower the NFA with key functions such as registration, licensing, and supervision of rice industry participants; inspection of warehouses and storage facilities; seizure of hoarded rice and grains; strategic buffer stock management; and regulation of rice importation and exportation. —VAL GMA News

Published Date: July 23, 2026