THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will recommend to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that he temporarily halt the importation of rice and increase the tariffs on imported rice to protect local farmers.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez, in a statement sent to Palace reporters yesterday, said the Cabinet would discuss this “urgent matter” with the President on the sidelines of his state visit to India rom August 4 to August 8.
No details yet were provided on the rate of the increase of tariffs, and the duration of the suspension of rice importation will be.
“Details will still be discussed and agreed upon,” Gomez said.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), the advisory body of the DA, proposed reinstating the 35-percent tariff on imported rice to safeguard local palay farmers as prices for local produce decline.
“With the price increase of imported rice, this could protect local rice farmers by making their produce more competitive in terms of price and encourage domestic production,” PCAF said.
In June 2024, Marcos signed Executive Order No. 62, which slashed rice tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent until 2028 to tame rice prices.
The current rate, however, is subject to a review every four months.
The DA in June expressed support for the recommendation of lawmakers in the House of Representatives to revert the rice tariff rate to 35 percent on the condition that this will be implemented gradually. (Dexter Cabalza © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
