The Philippines will once again import canned pork products following the lifting of a temporary ban imposed in response to the spread of African swine fever (ASF). Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel issued Department Circular (DC) No. 42 on Aug. 11 to lift the ban on the importation of...
Twenty-four leading importers have already engaged with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) over the creation of an elite importer group, including energy giants Petron Corp. and Shell Pilipinas Corp., as well as major players in the aviation, automotive, food, and manufacturing industries. This comes as...
Rice imports rose by nearly 27 percent year-on-year to more than three million metric tons (MT) in the first seven months, as the country ramped up purchases of foreign supplies to secure adequate stocks ahead of El Niño. The latest Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) data showed that the country’s...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking higher tariffs on several imported meat products after their import volumes triggered the need for special safeguard (SSG) duties to cushion the impact on local producers. Under Department Order (DO) No. 24, dated Aug. 5, Agriculture Secretary Francisco...
Adopting a uniform five percent tariff rate on corn imports could generate ₱17.2 billion in net economic gains as consumer savings offset losses for local farmers and government revenues, according to advocacy group Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF). Speaking at a Tariff Commission (TC)...
Stricter monitoring and technical assessments of imported goods—rather than higher import volumes—likely drove the Bureau of Customs (BOC) past its ₱82-billion revenue target for July, according to its chief. Speaking to reporters during the turnover of proceeds from forfeited luxury...
Despite increased government spending on agriculture and social protection, the Philippines continues to grapple with persistent malnutrition, high food prices, and weak agricultural productivity, underscoring the need for a major overhaul of food security policies, according to state-run policy...
The country’s meat imports grew 12 percent in the first half of 2026 to more than 870,000 metric tons (MT), as pork purchases from abroad climbed sharply to meet strong domestic demand. The latest Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) data showed that meat imports from January to June reached 872,274...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering linking the volume of foreign rice that traders can bring into the country to their investments in the rice sector, as it pursues another restriction to limit the impact of rice imports. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the DA is...
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...
