Marcos suspends rice imports for 60 days starting September

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., on Wednesday announced a 60-day suspension of rice importation beginning on Sept. 1, 2025, in a bid to protect Filipino farmers.

In a statement sent to reporters, Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave M. Gomez said Mr. Marcos heeded the Department of Agriculture’s recommendation to “protect local farmers reeling from low palay prices during this current harvest season.”

The directive came after consulting with Cabinet members during his state visit to India.

However, Mr. Gomez noted the President said it is not yet time to hike tariffs on imported rice.

“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 Sept. 1,” he added.

The Philippines is the world’s biggest rice importer.

Data from the Bureau of Plant and Industry showed the country had brought in 2.44 million metric tons (MT) of rice as of end-July. The Southeast Asian nation last year imported 4.7 million MT and is expected to import even more this year.

In June, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu-Laurel, Jr. told the House of Representatives he had recommended gradually restoring the rice import tariff to its original 35% rate from 15%, which was set under Executive Order No. 62 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in June 2024.

The 35% rate, valid until 2028, is subject to review every four months.

Mr. Tiu-Laurel had also advised timing tariff adjustments with harvests in Vietnam and Pakistan — major rice exporters to the Philippines — to mitigate market disruptions.

The debate comes as Philippine inflation slowed to 0.9% in July, the lowest since October 2019, according to data released on Tuesday by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Food prices dropped, including a 15.9% year-on-year decrease in rice prices, helping ease overall price pressures