NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (Neda)-Davao expects regularization of rice trading, competitive rice production, and other developments of the sector in the region with the passage of the Rice Tariffication Law.

Neda-Davao Director Maria Lourdes Lim said in a news conference on Thursday, April 25, that the regulation will address the problems such as rice production shortage in the region.

Lim discussed their outlook in 2019 to surpass the 8.6 percent Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth in 2018, which includes improvement of rice productivity through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) of the rice tariffication law.

“In terms of RCEF appropriations to the region, we have to get our fair share in terms of this financial support to rice farmers and rice farmer associations and cooperatives,” Lim said.

“The modernization of this sub-sector shall be underway with the provision of farm machineries and tractors. Post and pre-harvest equipment for rice farming will also be provided. This will be spearheaded by Department of Agriculture 11,” she added.

Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law is “the policy of the State to ensure food security and to make the country’s agricultural sector viable, effective and globally competitive. The State adopts the use of tariffs in lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products.”

A data presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority-Davao on Thursday, April 25, showed that the agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing sector contributed 0.3 percent in the region’s economic growth in 2018. Its sub-sectors, the agriculture and forestry, shared 3.5 percent.