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MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. plans to tighten the Philippines' rice import policy by extending the ongoing 60-day rice import suspension and raising tariffs on imported rice, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced on Wednesday.

This initiative will be made in an attempt to stabilize palay (unmilled rice) prices and protect the livelihood of Filipino farmers during the peak of the harvest season.According to Secretary Tiu Laurel, President Marcos has instructed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to prepare the necessary policies or orders to make way for the extension of the rice import suspension.“The duration of the import freeze and the possible increase in taxes on imported rice will be determined once we have more accurate data on supply and prices of palay at the farm gate,” Tiu Laurel said after meeting with President Marcos.The 60-day import suspension began on Sept. 1, 2025 and is set to conclude by Nov. 2. It was initially recommended by the DA to President Marcos to help address the drop in palay (unmilled rice) farmgate prices.Prior to the implementation of the program, local farmers have been reporting that palay farmgate prices have declined to as low as P8 per kilogram (kg). The drop in palay prices was attributed to the influx of cheap imported rice.In 2019, the government enacted Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which removed the quantitative restrictions on rice imports and replaced it with a tariff system instead. In 2024, President Marcos also issued Executive Order 62, which slashed the tariffs for imported rice to 15 percent from the previous 35 percent.After the implementation of the rice import suspension, palay farmgate prices rose to around P14/kg for a brief period. However, it started dropping again as the main harvest season approaches its peak as well as due to the effects to the palay quality of the heavy rains linked to La Niña, said the DA.

Source : msn