Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the government will maintain the tariff on imported rice at 15 percent, pending consultations with the economic managers.
“We already have the recommendation that we can consider increasing the tariff on imported rice little by little. But it’s a matter of timing,” Tiu Laurel told reporters during the re-opening of a refurbished National Food Authority warehouse in Bulacan Monday.
He said that any tariff adjustment would come only after careful coordination with other key officials.
“I will not increase [the tariff] for now because the harvest season is already over,” he said.
Tiu Laurel said there is no preliminary estimate yet on how much the tariff might increase, if a change is approved.
He earlier proposed a gradual hike in rice tariff as part of a broader strategy to stabilize rice prices and support local farmers.
