Rice tariff collection plunges 60% in 2025Workers load sacks of National Food Authority (NFA) rice on a truck inside a warehouse at the NFA compound in Balagtas, Bulacan. MANILA, Philippines — The government’s rice tariff collection in 2025 fell by more than half on an annual basis to P13.7 billion as import volume skid to its lowest level in four years, coupled with a historic low tariff rate. The plunge in tariff collection has been widely expected by rice industry stakeholders and government officials since the tariff rate on the commodity has been reduced to 15 percent from 35 percent. Rice tariff collections have been critical since the government liberalized the country’s rice trade regime in 2019, because they are earmarked into a fund that aims to modernize the local rice sector. The government will begin the implementation of a flexible rice tariff scheme this year wherein the tariff rate may increase or decrease depending on the movement of global rice prices.

Source: Philippine Star January 08, 2026 01:01 UTC