Manila, June 20 -- Farmers from some of the country's major rice-producing areas backed calls to restore the regulatory functions of the National Food Authority (NFA), Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Friday.

Tiu Laurel said Isabela farmers also favor the amendment of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to grant NFA the powers to help protect them from unscrupulous traders and perform market intervention through rice sale when necessary.

"Talagang concern iyong RTL. Kailangan talaga ma-amyendahan (RTL is really a concern. It needs to be amended)," he told journalists at the sidelines of his inspection of an NFA warehouse in Roxas, Isabela.

"At galing na rin sa mga farmers natin dito na talagang gusto nilang ma-amyendaha...