President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a 60-day suspension of rice importation effective Sept. 1 to protect local farmers from falling palay prices during the ongoing harvest season, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced.
The President announced the move after consultations with key Cabinet officials on the sidelines of his five-day State Visit to India.
In a statement, Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said the temporary halt was based on the recommendation of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
“Right now the decision is to suspend all rice importation for 60 days beginning Sept. 1,” he said.
“‘Yan po ang utos ng ating mahal na pangulo para matulungan ang ating mga magsasaka ng bigas,” he added.
However, the President clarified that while the Department of Agriculture (DA) had earlier proposed increasing rice import tariffs, the matter will be deferred for now.
“We will still see if we need to resort to that,” Marcos said, noting that a tariff hike was not yet on the table.
He said the focus must remain on protecting local producers in the immediate term. (Argyll Geducos)
