The Philippine government has stopped importing rice entirely, leaving the private sector as the sole rice importer under the Rice Tariffication Law, Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel said Saturday.
Tiu Laurel made the statement in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on July 18, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series.
NFA Administrator Larry Lacson also confirmed there is zero government rice importation at present: “Wala po, wala nang importation ang NFA,”
He noted that in previous administrations, the NFA imported rice—including a controversial 3.2 million metric ton importation from a previous administration that drew public scrutiny.
Tiu Laurel said the Rice Tariffication Law—which opened rice importation to the private sector—has both good and bad aspects, and one part of the law could hurt the local rice industry if left unchanged.
The administration is now pushing for a new Rice Act to replace the RTL, giving the government more control over the timing and volume of rice imports.
The new law will also expand the government’s palay buying capacity—from the current 5% of total production to as much as 15%.
“Sa bagong RTL na lalabas, with the same money we can actually buy up to 15%,” Tiu Laurel said.
He said a higher government buying capacity will help stabilize farmgate prices and protect farmers from being undercut by traders during harvest season.
