Customs collects P5.9-B tariffs from rice imports
Credit to Author: ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES| Date: Thu, 04 Jul 2019 16:25:52 +0000
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has collected P5.9 billion in tariffs from 1.43 million metric tons of rice imported by private traders, the Department of Finance (DoF) said on Thursday, almost five months after Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Act was signed into law.
In a statement, the DoF cited Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero’s report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd that said the bureau collected the highest amount among these tariffs — P1.37 billion — from the Subic Bay port.
The Port of Manila followed with P978.51 million; the Manila International Container Port, P942.76 million; the Port of Cagayan de Oro, P754.13 million; and the Port of Davao, P703.93 million.
According to Dominguez, RA 11203 will not only make high-quality rice more affordable and accessible to Filipino families, but also lower the country’s inflation rate, revolutionize the agriculture sector, and help farmers become more productive and competitive in the global economy.
The law, which also created the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), will help palay (unmilled rice) growers and farmers’ cooperatives transition to a new rice regime.
The fund would be used to provide farmers equipment; assist them in the production, promotion and distribution of certified rice seeds; upgrade of postharvest storage facilities; and credit assistance, irrigation support, and research and development support.
Section 13 of RA 11203 states that 10 percent of the RCEF will be used as a credit facility with minimal interest rates and minimum collateral requirements to rice farmers and cooperatives.
The rest of the fund will be used for rice farm machinery and equipment; rice-seed development, propagation and promotion; and rice extension services.
Under the law, rice importers will also be required to secure sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances from the Department of
Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry, which took on the food-safety regulation function of the National Food Authority under that law.
This requirement will ensure that rice imports are free from pests and diseases that could affect public health and local farm production, the Finance department said.
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