MANILA – The Philippines will not suspend rice imports but will tighten food safety measures to control the entry of cheap grain that is hurting incomes of local farmers, the agriculture chief said on Thursday.
Agriculture secretary William Dar made the announcement after a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, who had ordered the suspension of rice imports after purchases surged, making Philippines the world’s top buyer this year.
Duterte had wanted the suspension implemented during local harvest season, but its legality is unclear because he signed a law in February lifting curbs on importation of the grain.
His economic team is also against reinstating rice import restrictions, the removal of which helped rein in inflation that last year had quickened to the highest in nearly a decade.
Dar said Duterte has instead issued a directive for the Department of Agriculture, through its Bureau of Plant Industry, to strictly implement the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance.
“The agency will conduct pre-inspection at the point of origin of imported rice stock to ensure rice quality and safety for consumers and at the same time to protect the spread of crop pests and diseases,” he told reporters. (Reuters)
