Malacañang has issued Executive Order No. 105, extending the 15% tariff on imported rice until December 31, 2025, while creating a new inter-agency group to monitor and adjust import duties in line with international market trends.
The newly formed Inter-Agency Group on Rice Tariff Adjustment will oversee changes in tariff rates based on global price movements, ensuring that any adjustments align with the country’s food security objectives.
The order states that the Most Favored Nation (MFN) duty rates on rice, both in-quota and out-quota, under EO No. 62, shall remain in effect until the end of 2025.
Starting January 1, 2026, MFN rates will be adjusted according to international rice prices—increasing by 5 percentage points for every 5% drop in global prices, and decreasing by 5 percentage points for every 5% increase. However, rates “shall in no case be below 15% or above 35%.”
The inter-agency group will include representatives from the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Finance (DOF), and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs.
It will also set the trigger price thresholds, determine when such thresholds are reached (as certified by the DA), and monitor global rice price movements.
EO 105 builds on Executive Order No. 62, issued last year, which first lowered the rice import tariff to 15%. The Economy and Development Council earlier decided to retain this rate through 2025 and adopt a market-based adjustment mechanism by 2026.