The tariff on imported rice will stay at 15 percent for now, pending consultations with the economic managers, Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said Monday.
“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.
He also acknowledged mounting calls from industry stakeholders to restore the tariff to its previous rate of 35 percent.
“There is a clamor to bring it back to the original 35 percent, but that still needs thorough review,” he said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reduced the tariff rate from 35 percent to 15 percent in June 2024 through Executive Order No. 62 to ease consumer prices.
Tiu Laurel said the government is taking a cautious approach to ensure that any policy shift balances both consumer needs and farmer welfare
The DA expects rice imports to drop to as low as 3.8 million metric tons in 2025 from a record-high of 4.8 million MT in 2024.
