With the extension of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) until 2031, the Department of Agriculture Bicol is intensifying its call for more Farmer Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) to apply for RCEF accreditation to qualify as eligible beneficiaries of RCEF interventions.
As of January 2025, DA Bicol has a total of 1,466 RCEF-accredited FCAs. Among them is the Busay Farmers Association Inc. (BUFAS) in Brgy. Busay, Daraga, Albay. BUFAS received its first accreditation on July 29, 2021. With 96 members, the clustered association covers about 50 hectares of rice area. BUFAS renewed its RCEF accreditation on July 8, 2024.
“After po kami ma-accredit sa RCEF, ‘yung mga benefits na na-receive namin, nakapag-request kami ng gamit sa pagsasaka and napabilis ang requisition ng mga equipment and machineries. Nagkaroon din kami sa distribution ng mga binhi, fertilizer at machinery tulad ng hand tractor, water-cooled engine, rice reaper, at thresher. Mas napadali ang proseso ng requisition and mas nagkaroon ng boses ‘yung asosasyon ng mga farmers kung ano ang primary na pangangailangan sa pagsasaka. Dagdag na rin sa naging benepisyo sa aming association ay yung pagkakaroon ng TESDA Certificate on Inbred Rice Production kung saan nagkaroon ng ilang araw na training sa dalawang batch ng mga piling rice farmers sa Inbred Rice Production, Pest Control at Farm Equipment and Machineries Operation. Naka-avail din ang BUFAS ng loan sa Landbank na naka tulong sa hog fattening business ng ilang farmers,” Shane L. Matociños, president of Busay Farmers Association Inc. in Brgy. Busay, Daraga, Albay, said.
He also encouraged other FCAs to coordinate with the barangay, the LGU, particularly the Municipal Agriculture Office, and the DA regional office to facilitate their RCEF accreditation.
To apply for RCEF accreditation, interested FCAs must submit a Letter of Intent addressed to DA Regional Field Office V Regional Director Rodel P. Tornilla and other documentary requirements. These include a valid certificate or registration from any recognized government agency, their farmer association profile including the list of officers and association members with corresponding home and farm location address, Omnibus Sworn Statement, and endorsement from the Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council (MAFC) or Local Government Unit to the Accreditation Secretariat at the DA Bicol Field Operations Division.
Through the RCEF, created by virtue of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), the DA has established the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP), designed to complement the agency’s National Rice Program (NRP). Under the RCEP, accredited FCAs may avail of free rice farm mechanization from the Philippine Center for Postharvest and Mechanization (PhilMech), inbred rice seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), rice credit assistance through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), and rice extension services from the Agricultural Training Institute, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), PhilMech, and PhilRice.
The RTL was amended when President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12078, “An Act Amending Republic Act No. 8178 or the ‘Agricultural Tariffication Act” on December 9, 2024. Under the amended law, the annual nationwide RCEF allocation will increase from P10 billion to P30 billion. About P6 billion will be allotted to providing high-quality rice seeds, P9 billion will go to farm mechanization, while P15 billion will be used to extension and training programs, cash assistance distribution, and establishment of solar-powered irrigation systems, and water impounding projects. (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V)