The government is studying the possibility of imposing a seasonal tariff on rice imports during harvest to help farmers, Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a Senate budget briefing, Balisacan called the tariff a “feasible and more sustainable option” to counter the drop in palay prices when harvest peaks.
Another approach, he said, is a European-style support mechanism that guarantees a threshold price for farmers. “It’s a balancing act,” he added, “ensuring farming remains remunerative while consumers also benefit from lower world prices.”
Balisacan said the government is weighing the administrative cost of the options to ensure the policy is “sustainable, efficient, and less fiscally costly.”
His remarks follow Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon’s July statement that the government was also exploring direct assistance to farmers to offset the effects of rice tariffs.
Edillon said the measures are now being reviewed alongside Executive Order No. 62, which lowers the import duty on rice to 15 percent and requires a review every four months.
Edillon said the current review will focus on assessment, while the next round, due in November, will consider concrete options. These include keeping the 15 percent tariff but giving direct aid to farmers, or reintroducing certain functions of the National Food Authority for price stabilization.
Farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) in March petitioned the Tariff Commission to restore the 35 percent duty on rice imports suspended under EO 62.
