News

Serge Osmeña suggests reducing tariff on rice imports every year

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Feb 19 04:35 PM

Marginal farmers are going to suffer from the rice tariffication bill recently signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, said former Senator Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III. Read more »

'Local farmers to benefit from higher taxes on imported rice'

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 18 09:07 PM

Former agriculture secretary Dr. William Dar said that under the new rice tariffication law, P10 billion will be allocated to local farmers yearly. Read more »

Death knell for farmers?

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 18 08:50 PM

Members of Rice Watch, Bantay Bigas, and Anakpawis Party-list group hold a protest rally in front of the Department of Agriculture in Elliptical Road, Quezon City on Monday to protest the enactment of Rice Tariffication Law. Read more »

Rice prices to go down?

Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 18 04:35 PM

Consumers buy rice at the Commonwealth market on Monday. The trade department expects a decrease in rice prices after President Duterte signed into law the Rice Tariffication bill. Read more »

Dissecting Data: Trade deficit narrows in Dec but widens to record in 2018

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 12 08:50 PM

The Philippines' trade deficit narrowed to a three-month low in December last year. But the $41.4 billion trade gap booked for the whole of 2018 was also the widest on record.    Read more »

Gov't may allow more sugar imports once rice tariffs approved

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jan 31 10:57 PM

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said sugar is very expensive in the Philippines because the supply is provided by only a few players.  Read more »

Bureau of Animal Industry defends importation of frozen pork from Belgium

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jan 07 11:58 PM

A Philippine agriculture group detected the entry of over a million kilos of frozen pork from Belgium, which is among the countries affected by the African swine fever. Read more »

Trade deficit widens in October as infra push drives imports

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Dec 11 12:56 PM

Imports grew 21.4 percent in October to $10.32 billion compared to the same month last year, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed. Read more »

Trade deficit widens in September as exports decline

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Nov 07 05:01 PM

The country's trade deficit widened in September as exports declined while imports surged, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday. Read more »

OPINION: Beyond Rice Tariffication

Omi Royandoyan
Updated as of Oct 16 09:26 PM

Rice tarrification without the necessary support to make rice farmers competitive is detrimental to our domestic rice industry, the country’s food security. Read more »

PH posts $1.27-B balance of payments surplus in August: BSP

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Sep 19 07:46 PM

The Philippines posted a balance of payments (BOP) surplus of $1.27 billion in August 2018, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Wednesday. Read more »

Australia's strawberry needle scare spurs proposal for 15-year jail term

Colin Packham, Reuters
Updated as of Sep 19 02:10 PM

SYDNEY - Australia plans to increase the maximum jail term to 15 years for anyone convicted of contaminating foodstuffs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as a scare over needles found in strawberries and other fruits gripped the country. Read more »

Economic managers urge Legarda to back rice tariffication

Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Sep 14 09:36 PM

Diokno said inflation concerns were discussed during the meeting. Read more »

Duterte order 'strong first step' to fight inflation: Arroyo adviser

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Sep 13 09:47 AM

A proposed executive order by Malacañang will not only tame the rising inflation but will also help address problems on the supply of rice, a lawmaker said Thursday.   Read more »

Dissecting Data: What's behind the Philippines' widening trade deficit?

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Sep 12 05:22 AM

The country’s trade deficit widened to $3.55 billion in July as imports continued to outpace exports, government data released Tuesday showed. Read more »

Rice prices to stabilize in November: Piñol

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Sep 10 12:11 PM

Prices of the staple grain will go down, but not below P40 per kilo, Piñol said during a Senate hearing on the Department of Agriculture's 2019 budget. Read more »

Philippines set to purchase extra 132,000 tons of rice

Reuters
Posted at Aug 29 05:35 PM

The Philippines will import an additional 132,000 tonnes of rice to boost stocks in southern provinces, where prices have surged in recent weeks amid limited supply, its agriculture minister said on Wednesday. Read more »

Galunggong importation 'insulting', says expert

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 29 10:53 AM

The government's plan to import galunggong or round scad is "insulting" given that the country has vast aquatic resources, a science advocate said Wednesday. Read more »

May formalin sa galunggong? Agriculture chief, bumuwelta

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 28 10:33 PM

Bumuwelta si Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol matapos lumutang ang isyung may halong formalin ang mga inangkat na galunggong. Read more »

'Galunggongs don't have nationality': Agriculture chief defends fish imports

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 28 10:32 AM

In 2017 alone, the country imported 130,000 metric tons of fish and "nobody complained." Piñol told ANC's Headstart. This year, another 3 billion fingerlings will be bought from Indonesia, he said. Read more »