Albay 3rd District Representative Raymond Adrian Salceda is advocating for the expansion of the Rice Farmer Financial Assistance (RFFA) program to include all rice farmers, regardless of farm size. He has also proposed providing a second tranche of PHP5,000 to small farm holders who have previously received aid.
In a statement, Salceda, who chairs the House Special Committee on Food Security, explained that the proposal would utilize PHP2 billion in excess rice tariff revenues available under Special Provision No. 9 of the 2025 General Appropriations Act. This could be supplemented with an estimated PHP7 to PHP8 billion in undisbursed RFFA funds from prior years, allowing the government to implement universal coverage without requiring new appropriations.
Currently, only farmers cultivating up to two hectares receive PHP5,000 under the RFFA. Salceda emphasized the need for broader support, stating, “Everyone is a farmer, regardless of the size of their land. All have felt the impact of low rice tariffs and will be affected by typhoons and monsoon rains. Therefore, I believe it is fair to support everyone.”
According to the Salceda Research, a policy think tank chaired by former House Ways and Means chair Joey Salceda, an investment of PHP5,000 in fertilizer can purchase about 208 kilograms of urea, which contains 96 kilograms of nitrogen. This investment could generate approximately 1,152 kilograms of additional palay per farmer under typical conditions.
If this assistance is extended to the 281,400 farmers planting more than two hectares—who would receive aid for the first time—and the 2.12 million small farmholders who would benefit from a second tranche, the total additional output could reach 2.76 million metric tons of palay in a single season. This figure is equivalent to around 1.71 million metric tons of rice, representing more than 40 percent of the country’s annual imports of 3.9 to 4 million metric tons.
At a farmgate price of PHP20 per kilogram, this increased output would be valued at approximately PHP55.3 billion, yielding a return of 4.6 times the combined program cost of PHP12 billion.
“If we act now, larger farms can enhance their planting, and small farms can optimize their input use with the second tranche. This presents a quick, high-return investment in our food security,” Salceda stated. He added that his office would submit the proposed joint guidelines from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Finance to expedite disbursement.