Dimitui, Angela P.

A-211
Dr. Joan C. Reyes

AGRICULTURAL LAWS IN THE PHILIPPINES

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10601 - AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERIES MECHANIZATION (AFMECH) LAW

It promotes the development and adoption of modern, appropriate and cost-effective and
environmentally-safe agricultural and fisheries machinery and equipment to enhance farm productivity
and efficiency in order to achieve food security and safety and increase farmers’ income

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8435 - AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES MODERNIZATION ACT OF 1997

It is an Act prescribing urgent related measures to modernize the agriculture and fisheries sectors of the
country in order to enhance their profitability, and prepare said sectors for the challenges of the
globalization through an adequate, focused and rational delivery of necessary support services,
appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10845- ANTI-AGRICULTURAL SMUGGLING ACT OF 2016

It is an Act declaring large-scale agricultural smuggling as economic sabotage, prescribing penalties

Written in this Act says that It is the policy of the State to promote the productivity of the agriculture
sector and to protect farmers from unscrupulous traders and importers, who by their illegal importation
of agricultural products, especially rice, significantly affect the production, availability of supply and
stability of prices, and the food security of the State.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10817- PHILIPPINE HALAL EXPORT DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION ACT OF 2016

It is an Act instituting the Philippine halal export development and promotion program, creating for the
purpose the Philippine halal export development and promotion board, and for other purposes.
Recognizing the significant role of exports to national economic development, and the potential
contribution of Halal industries, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote the growth and
ensure the integrity and quality of Philippine Halal exports.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10816 FARM TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2016

It is an Act providing for the development and promotion of farm tourism in the Philippines.

Under this act, it is said that the State recognizes the importance of agriculture in making available food
and other products necessary to sustain and enhance human life, and in providing livelihood to a major
portion of the population.The State further recognizes that tourism, coupled with agriculture extension
services, can disseminate the value of agriculture in the economic and cultural development of the
country, serve as a catalyst for the development of agriculture and fishery communities, and provide
additional income for farmers, farmworkers, and fisherfolk.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10659- SUGARCANE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2015

It is an Act promoting and supporting the competitiveness of the sugarcane industry and for other
purpose. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote the competitiveness of the sugarcane
industry and maximize the utilization of sugarcane resources, and improve the incomes of farmers and
farm workers, through improved productivity, product diversification, job generation, and increased
efficiency of sugar mills.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10654

It is an Act to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, amending
republic act no. 8550, otherwise known as “The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998,” and for other
purposes. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to ensure the rational and sustainable
development, management and conservation of the fishery and aquatic resources in Philippine waters
including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and in the adjacent high seas, consistent with the
primordial objective of maintaining a sound ecological balance, protecting and enhancing the quality of
the environment.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10089- PHILIPPINE RUBBER RESEARCH INSTITUTE ACT OF 2010

It is an Act creating the Philippine Rubber Research Institute to develop the Philippine rubber industry
and for other purposes. It is a declared policy of the State to develop self-reliant industries effectively
controlled by Filipinos, encourage investments and provide incentives to private enterprise, promote
employment and livelihood opportunities for the poor, ensure well-balanced ecology in the use of
natural resources for industrial purposes, and prioritize education and training particularly in science
and technology for sustainable development.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10068 - ORGANIC AGRICULTURE ACT OF 2010

It is an Act that says that the government shall extend incentives such as subsidies for certification fees
and other support services to facilitate organic certification shall be provided to farmers whose farms
have been duly certified as compliant to the Philippine National Standards.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7607 - MAGNA CARTA OF SMALL FARMERS

It primarily aims in realizing equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities through the
empowerment of the small farmers. The law recognizes the country’s responsibility for the welfare and
development of small farmers by giving them support in attaining their socioeconomic goals.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11203 - THE RICE LIBERALIZATION ACT

It is an Act liberalizing the importation, exportation and trading of rice, lifting for the purpose the
quantitative import restriction on rice, and for other purposes.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6657 - COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM LAW (CARL)

It is an Act instituting a comprehensive agrarian reform program to promote social justice and
industrialization, providing the mechanism for its implementation, and for other purposes.

This is founded on the right of farmers and regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or
collectively the lands they till or, in the case of other farm workers, to receive a just share of the fruits
thereof.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8550 - PHILIPPINE FISHERIES CODE OF 1998

It is an Act providing for the development, management and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic
resources, integrating all laws pertinent thereto, and for other purposes.

It aims to achieve food security as the overriding consideration in the utilization, management,
development, conservation and protection of fishery resources in order to provide the food needs of the
population. A flexible policy towards the attainment of food security shall be adopted in response to
changes in demographic trends for fish, emerging trends in the trade of fish and other aquatic products
in domestic and international markets, and the law of supply and demand.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7900 - HIGH-VALUE CROPS DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1995

It is an Act to promote the production, processing, marketing and distribution of high-valued crops,
providing funds therefore, and for other purposes. It aims to accelerate the growth and development of
agriculture in general, enhance productivity and incomes of farmers and the rural population, improve
investment climate, competencies and efficiency of agribusiness and develop high-value crops as export
crops that will significantly augment the foreign exchange earnings of the country.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7881

It is an Act amending certain provisions of Republic Act No. 6657, entitled "An act instituting a
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to promote social justice and industrialization, providing the
mechanism for its implementation, and for other purposes".

For the purpose of this Act, unless the context indicates otherwise that Agriculture, Agricultural
Enterprise or Agricultural Activity means the cultivation of the soil, planting of crops, (growing of fruit
trees, including the harvesting of such farm ‘products, and other farm activities and practices performed
by a farmer in conjunction with such farming operations done by persons whether natural or juridical.”

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8178- AGRICULTURAL TARIFFICATION ACT

It is an Act replacing quantitative import restrictions on agricultural products, except rice, with tariffs,
creating the agricultural competitiveness enhancement fund, and for other purposes. This act desires to
make the country’s agricultural sector viable, efficient and globally competitive. The State adopts the
use of tariffs in lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products,
except in the case of rice, which will continue to have quantitative import restrictions.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7308 - SEED INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1992

It is an Act to promote and develop the seed industry in the Philippines and create a national seed
industry council and for other purposes.

It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote and accelerate the development of the seed
industry and, for this purpose, the Government shall conserve, preserve and develop the plant genetic
resources of the nation; encourage and hasten the organization of all sectors engaged in the industry,
integrate all their activities, and provide assistance to them.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10848

It is an Act further extending the period of implementation of the Agricultural Competitiveness

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9168 - PHILIPPINE PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION ACT OF 2002

It is an Act to provide protection to new plant varieties, establishing a National Plant Variety Protection
Board and for other purposes.

An effective intellectual property system in general and the development of new plant variety in
particular is vital in attaining food security for the country. To this end, the state shall protect and secure
the exclusive rights of breeders with respect to their new plant variety particularly when beneficial to
the people for such periods as provided for in this Act.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8976 - PHILIPPINE FOOD FORTIFICATION ACT OF 2000

It is an Act establishing the Philippine Food Fortification Program and for other purposes.

Food fortification is vital where there is a demonstrated need to increase the intake of an essential
nutrient by one or more population groups, as manifested in dietary, biochemical or clinical evidences of
deficiency. Food fortification is considered important in the promotion of optimal health and to
compensate for the loss of nutrients due to processing and/or storage of food. Food fortification,
therefore, shall carried out to compensate for the inadequacies in Filipino diet, based on present-day
needs as measured using the most recent Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA).

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10969 - FREE IRRIGATION SERVICE ACT

It is a measure which waives irrigation fees for farmers who owns eight hectares of land or less. Upon
the effectiveness of this Act, all farmers with landholdings of eight (8) hectares and below are hereby
exempted from paying irrigation service fees (ISF) for water derived from national irrigation systems
(NIS) and communal irrigation systems (CIS).
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7905

It is an Act to strengthen the implementation of the comprehensive agrarian reform program, and for
other purposes. This states that there is a need for infrastructure development and public works
projects in areas and settlements that come under agrarian reform, and for this purpose, the
preparation of the physical development plan of such settlements providing suitable barangay sites,
potable water and power resources, irrigation systems, seeds and seedling banks, post harvest facilities,
and other facilities for a sound agricultural development plan.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7907

it is an Act amending republic act numbered thirty-eight hundred forty-four, as amended, otherwise
known as the "Code of Agrarian Reform in the Philippines." 

There is a need for the strengthening of the capital base of the bank, to establish a national marketing
umbrella for farmers and fisheries cooperatives to attract massive capital formation from savings
deposits of the cooperative member nationwide.

Republic Act No. 9281 

It is an Act to strengthen agriculture and fisheries modernization in the Philippines by extending the
effectivity of tax incentives and its mandated funding support, amending for this purpose sections 109
and 112 of Republic Act No. 8435.