Agriculture import barriers eased

Rice retail prices up by P2 per kilo

MANILA, Philippines — Citing constraints that increase importation costs and limit the supply of farm goods, President Marcos has ordered the removal of non-tariff barriers on the importation of agricultural products and streamlining of administrative procedures to address rising commodity prices.

Non-tariff barriers are policy measures, other than customs tariffs, that restrict trade, including quotas, import licensing systems, regulations and red tape, he said.

Despite existing measures, these barriers and administrative constraints continue to persist, increasing the domestic prices of farm commodities, Marcos noted.

“It is imperative to further streamline administrative procedures to foster transparency and predictability of policies on the importation of agricultural products in order to help ensure food security, maintain sufficient supply of agricultural goods in the domestic market and improve local production,” Marcos said in Administrative Order No. 20, dated April 18.

The order, which took effect immediately, also contained the President’s directives on the processing and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for agricultural products and guidelines for the importation of sugar and fishery products.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), in coordination with either the Department of Trade and Industry or the Department of Finance, is tasked with streamlining procedures and requirements in the licensing of importers, minimizing the processing time of application for importation and exempting licensed traders from submission of registration requirements.

The DA should also facilitate the importation of certain agricultural products beyond the authorized minimum access volume and reduce or remove administrative fees, subject to consultations with the National Economic and Development Authority’s committee on tariff and related matters.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration was directed to streamline and standardize guidelines for sugar importation.

Marcos also called for a faster processing of agricultural imports, directing the Bureau of Customs to prioritize the unloading and release of imported agricultural products.

The President reconstituted a surveillance team comprised of various agencies to ensure the effective implementation of the order.

The team will monitor the importation and distribution of farm goods, prevent illegal acts of price manipulation and other forms of unfair or anti-competitive commercial practices, take appropriate remedial measures to address unlawful acts and craft guidelines on sharing information and enhancing transparency and accountability of concerned agencies.

Meanwhile, Marcos also ordered agencies and local government units to support the implementation of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty program.

Rice prices up

The retail price of regular and well-milled rice increased between P1 and P2 per kilo in the past few days compared to the prevailing price last week, according to the DA.

“We are still in the harvest season and during this time, the retail price of rice should go down. At present, the prevailing price of regular and well-milled rice ranges between P51 and P52 per kilo. Last week, the prevailing price was P50 to P51 per kilo,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa noted.

The DA is determining the cause of the movement in the retail price of rice, he added.

“We are now checking with the National Food Authority and other concerned government agencies. The increase was not that big but there was an upward trend,” he said.

Based on the DA’s monitoring, the retail price of local regular rice ranged between P48 and P52 per kilo; local well-milled rice, between P48 and P55 per kilo; local premium rice, between 51 and P58 per kilo and local special rice, between P57 and 67 per kilo.

Imported regular rice, between P48 and P51; imported well-milled P50 and P58 per kilo; imported premium rice, between P50 and P62 per kilo; and imported special rice, between P56 and P56 and P64 per kilo.

The US Department of Agriculture decreased its forecast on the country’s total importation of the staple to 3.9 million metric tons from the previous 4.1 million MT, De Mesa said.

“This only shows that we expect a good harvest despite the El Niño and limited typhoons. This is because we have good irrigation in Central Luzon. We have a good (palay) production,” he added.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. is pushing for at least a P250-billion budget in 2025 to implement the four-year plan for the agriculture sector, he noted.

“Our priority is the expansion and improvement of our production areas. A big portion of the budget of the DA for 2025 will be focusing on irrigation systems. We’ll also be focusing on modernization of agriculture; we’ll also be focusing on improvement in the post-harvest and decrease in post-harvest losses… so our proposal is to double the budget, from P170 to at least 250 billion next year,” he said.

Meanwhile, the retail price of pork increased between P5 and P10 per kilo, De Mesa said.

“For pork shoulder, the retail price ranged from P335 to P340. It is higher by P5 to P10 per kilo compared to the previous week. In terms of pork belly, the prevailing price is P380 per kilo but we also monitored P400 per kilo. The farmgate is only a little over P200 per kilo so if the traders will add P100 per kilo as the benchmark, the retail price should only be between P320 and P330 per kilo for shoulder,” he noted. — Bella Cariaso