Farmer-leader urges Senator-elect Kiko Pangilinan to repeal Rice Liberalization Law

BULACAN — Farmer-leader Danilo Ramos has called on Senator-elect Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan to lead the repeal of the Rice Liberalization Law (RA 11203), citing its failure to benefit both farmers and consumers, and to support the Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA), which aims to restore local rice self-sufficiency through stronger state support and regulation.

“RA 11203 has failed both farmers and consumers. It brought in an influx of cheap imported rice, drove down palay farmgate prices, and steadily eroded the country’s local rice industry,” Ramos said in a statement.

He added that the promised benefits of lower retail prices and improved competitiveness never materialized. “Farmers continue to suffer losses, while consumers still face volatile and rising prices. More than six years since its enactment, the Rice Liberalization Law (RLL) has clearly failed in delivering on its promises.”

Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Liberalization Law, removed restrictions on rice importation, allowing private traders to import rice with tariffs aimed at lowering consumer prices. However, critics say the law has hurt local farmers by flooding the market with cheaper imports, reducing farmgate prices, and increasing dependency on global rice supplies.

“The rice crisis has worsened since the Rice Liberalization was implemented, and Senator Kiko knows this as well,” Ramos added.

Data from Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) shows that palay production has stagnated over the past six years, with the total harvested area shrinking by 200,000 hectares from 2018 to 2024. Output remains steady at 19.1 million metric tons, while farmer productivity has barely improved. Meanwhile, average net income per hectare has dropped by P6,268 ($113) between 2018 and 2023, with farmgate prices falling from P8.40 ($0.15) to P6.50 ($0.12) per kilo.

“The average income of P10,836 ($195) per hectare in 2022 is the lowest since 2007,” Ramos said, highlighting worsening rural poverty.

Ramos also criticized the weakening role of the National Food Authority (NFA) and the growing dominance of private traders, who now hold 41 percent of rice stocks compared to the NFA’s 10 percent. Meanwhile, farmers receive only 15 percent of the average retail price, with traders capturing more than half the profits. Rice imports nearly doubled from 2 million metric tons in 2018 to 4.8 million metric tons in 2024, concentrated among fewer importers, 10 companies control 40 percent of imports.

The Rice Liberalization Law, authored by former Senator Cynthia Villar and signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte, has been blamed for deepening food insecurity despite promises of cheaper rice. The Philippines is projected to remain the world’s largest rice importer through 2026.

Read: Farmers shun rice importation, call for boosting local production

Dependency on imports surged from 14 percent in 2018 to 23 percent in 2022. The law also contributed to the closure of over 6,000 rice mills in 2019 alone and loss of milling facilities in more than 1,000 barangays over a decade. These disruptions coincided with worsening hunger and unemployment, with self-rated food poverty reaching 44 percent in 2024, the highest since 2003.

“We urge Senator-elect Kiko to study and support the Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA), which is pending in the House of Representatives but has no counterpart bill in the Senate,” Ramos said.

RIDA proposes an initial P185 billion ($3.33 billion) fund to rebuild local rice production, regulate prices, and improve infrastructure, aiming to reverse the damage caused by the Rice Liberalization Law and reduce import dependence. The 2018 version of RIDA, filed by the Makabayan bloc, outlines a P495 billion ($8.91 billion), three-year plan covering farmer credit, irrigation, post-harvest facilities, farm inputs, research, and local procurement, while protecting rice lands and farmers’ tenure.

Read: TheRealDuterteLegacy | Farmers bear the brunt of Duterte’s rice liberalization policy

“We believe Senator Pangilinan, with his long-standing support for farmers and agriculture, is well-positioned to lead this legislative effort,” Ramos said. “We urge him to spearhead the repeal of RTL and champion the passage of RIDA, in close consultation with farmers’ organizations and rural stakeholders.”

“The rice crisis will not be resolved through unbridled importation and liberalisation. The solution lies in genuine land reform, national industrialisation, and policies that put farmers and food security at the centre,” Ramos concluded. (RVO)

The post Farmer-leader urges Senator-elect Kiko Pangilinan to repeal Rice Liberalization Law appeared first on Bulatlat.