Browse Data and Analysis

Despite record production and ample stocks, the Philippines is forecast to import a record volume of rice. Large imports are spurred in part by high domestic prices and the recent government decision to reduce tariffs from 35 to 15 percent.

Fueled by a rebound in hospitality and food service, the Philippine economy outperformed Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia in 2023 despite inflationary pressure. Total U.S. agricultural and related exports to the Philippines reached $3.6 billion in 2023 with U.S. consumer-oriented and intermediate agricultural exports ranking the highest in Southeast Asia.

On February 22, 2023, the Philippine Tariff Commission announced that it will commence a Comprehensive Review of the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Tariff Schedule, covering all products/tariff lines falling under Chapters 1 to 97 of Section 1611 of the CMTA, to set the MFN Tariff Schedule for 2024 to 2028.

This report provides the standard rules and regulations relevant to the administration of the Philippines' tariff-rate quotas, known locally as Minimum Access Volumes (MAV) and, when authorized, MAV Plus.

This report outlines the Philippine government requirements for the importation of rice, including significant developments since 2022, when the government generally stopped approving issuances of the Sanitary-Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) import permit.