The Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research and Agriculture (SEARCA) will hold a session on the regional implications of the Philippine Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) during the Inaugural Rice Research Symposium on Wednesday (November 13) at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

The research symposium is part of the 11th World Rice Conference organized by The Rice Trader (TRT).

Republic Act 11203 or the RTL has recently been passed in the Philippines with the purpose of lifting existing quantitative import restrictions on rice.

With the current influx of imported rice and the consequent plunge in domestic farm gate prices, the RTL has amassed mixed reactions from various stakeholders of the local rice industry, raising the question as to whether it is indeed beneficial for the Philippine rice industry.

Meanwhile, the current push for the establishment of an Asean common market has steered regional strategies toward promoting and strengthening intra-Asean trade and market integration.

Whether the new law will help the Philippines reap the gains from international trade and make Filipino farmers more competitive in the local and international markets is the question the session aims to answer.

The SEARCA session will assess the policy implications on regional trade, rice reserves, food security, agriculture and rural development, and rice farmers’ income and competitiveness in relation to the implementation of the RTL.

Session technical coordinator, Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, Senior Research Fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), will be joined in by representatives from relevant sectors who will provide a multi-stakeholder perspective on the issue.

The panelists are Dr. Ramon L. Clarete of the UP School of Economics (UPSE); Jerry E. Pacturan of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Asia Pacific Division; Cresente C. Paez of the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA); Jansinee Kankaew of the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Secretariat; and Jose Ma. Luis P. Montesclaros of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. (PR)