The Department of Agriculture (DA) is exploring the imposition of higher tariffs by at least 13 percentage points (ppt) on certain rice imports from four of its major suppliers, including Vietnam, as a safeguard measure to mitigate the impact of rising imports on the domestic rice industry. Upon...
Pakistan, one of the Philippines’ top rice suppliers, has questioned whether the Philippine government is complying with global trade rules in its plan to impose safeguard measures to restrict rice imports and shield local farmers. During the Tariff Commission’s (TC) preliminary conference on...
The Philippines’ rice imports rose by a fifth to a record 2.75 million metric tons (MT) in the first half of 2026, as the country leaned on purchases from abroad to counter subpar domestic output and temper retail prices. The latest Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) data showed that rice imports in...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has secured the commitment from industry players to limit the entry of five-percent broken imported rice, as the agency weighs measures to provide relief to the domestic rice sector. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said farmers, importers, and traders...
The Tariff Commission (TC) has initiated a formal investigation to determine whether to impose a definitive safeguard measure on imported rice to provide relief to the local industry, which has been reeling from the surge in foreign shipments. In a notice, the TC announced it launched the probe...
The Philippines may soon impose safeguard measures to control the entry of imported rice after the Department of Agriculture (DA) found that the surge in shipments of the household staple is directly harming farmers and the local rice sector. Under Department Order (DO) No. 18 dated June 24, the DA...
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has adjusted upward its rice import forecast for the Philippines to 5.20 million metric tons (MT) in the upcoming marketing year (MY), as it expects the country to post lower rice output than initially projected. In its Grain and Feeds report dated...
The country’s rice imports surged 23 percent to nearly 2.4 million metric tons (MT) from January to May compared to the same period last year, as traders rushed to fortify inventories ahead of an expected dip in local production. Citing Bureau of Customs (BOC) data, the Congressional Policy and...
The Philippines expanded its rice importation by 18 percent to 1.7 million metric tons (MT) during the first four months of 2026 as the government looks to bolster the supply of the commodity amid expectations of lower output in the coming months. The latest Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) data...
The Philippines secured a supply agreement with Vietnam for a total of 1.5 million metric tons (MT) of rice at a fixed rate of $450 per MT, as the government looks to bolster local supplies of the staple grain amid potential production challenges later this year. In a statement on Friday, May 8,...
Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on the Senate to conduct a thorough and immediate investigation into the “sudden and aggressive” rice importation of Planters Products Inc. (PPI), noting that the agency’s latest questionable moves could further hurt the country’s farmers already reeling...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is evaluating a restriction on monthly rice import volumes of up to 200,000 metric tons (MT) from June to October to ensure adequate domestic supply without collapsing farmgate prices. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told Manila Bulletin that the...
