PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered the suspension of all rice importation for 60 days.
In a statement, Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez said the order will take effect on September 1, 2025.
He said the President's directive aims to protect local farmers who are suffering from low palay prices during the current harvest season.
"We will still see if we need to resort to that. Right now, the decision is to suspend all rice importation for 60 days beginning September 1. 'Yan po ang utos ng ating Mahal na Pangulo para matulungan ang ating mga magsasaka ng bigas,” said Gomez.
(That is the directive of our beloved President to help our rice farmers.)
Marcos is currently in India for his five-day state visit.
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the President’s directive to suspend rice imports for 60 days, while holding off on a tariff hike, is a “measured response” to the current challenges faced by rice farmers.
“The suspension is a more calibrated action—one that we can quickly reverse if needed... It gives us the flexibility to act fast to protect both our farmers and our consumers. A premature tariff hike, on the other hand, could backfire and would take much longer to undo,” said Laurel.
“We are walking a tightrope here. The stakes are high for both our farmers and the Filipino people, so it’s crucial that we strike the right balance,” he added.
Under the Rice Tariffication Law, the President is authorized to temporarily halt or limit foreign rice purchases for a limited period to stabilize domestic prices.
Laurel said that in some areas, rice traders are buying palay at just P8 per kilo—only two-thirds of the cost incurred by the most efficient farmers to produce a kilo of palay.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier recommended increasing the rice tariff from the current 15 percent to 25 percent, and later to 35 percent, but Marcos opted to delay the decision.
The rice import tariff was reduced from 35 percent to 15 percent in July last year to counter rising rice prices at the time.
Laurel said the DA will use the two-month import freeze to assess its effects on palay prices and the broader market.
“If this strategy leads to higher farmgate prices and better income for our farmers, we may no longer need to raise the tariff,” Laurel said.
“What matters most is that we make a well-informed decision because millions of lives depend on the outcome,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)