The country’s meat imports from January to April expanded by 22 percent to nearly 580,000 metric tons (MT) compared to the previous year, driven largely by pork products as demand continues to outpace local production. Based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the total volume of...
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is imposing a safeguard duty of ₱349 per metric ton (MT) on cement imports from neighboring China and Indonesia after both countries’ outbound shipments to the Philippines exceeded the exemption threshold. Under Department Administrative Order (DAO)...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is gearing up for the implementation of the government policy expanding the minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports to temper retail prices and maintain sufficient supply. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the DA is taking the lead in drafting...
CEBU CITY – The Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. (PROPORK), the umbrella organization of independent hog farmers and cooperatives in the country, on Monday, May 25, strongly opposed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to increase the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) for...
As the Bureau of Customs (BOC) targets the rollout of a new top importers office (TIO) by the third quarter of 2026, Manila Bulletin has learned that the bureau is eyeing up to 2,000 major importers that account for nearly three-fourths of annual revenues of the country ’s second largest...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is keeping the same volume of pork imports subject to a lower tariff rate under its revised minimum access volume (MAV) policy as it seeks to restore competitiveness in the market. “All of our regular MAV quotas will be the same as last year. It’s just the...
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 aiming to expand the domestic swine population by one million heads to nearly 10 million this year, as it begins implementing its ₱1.6-billion swine repopulation program aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on pork imports. The DA’s target for the...
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...
The Philippines is preparing to increase its foreign rice purchases this year as the government moves to stabilize domestic supply and temper price volatility for Filipinos ' main food staple. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the country is ready to scale up shipments from its...
