Browse Data and Analysis

On February 7, 2025, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) released Sugar Order No. 2 (SO2) authorizing the voluntary purchase of 500,000 metric tons (MT) of raw sugar to avail of an allocation in the government’s sugar importation program.

On February 18, 2025, the Philippines notified the World Trade Organization Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade of the Department of Finance’s Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 001-2025.

On February 11, 2025, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) issued Sugar Order No. 3 (SO3), allowing new applications for construction and expansion of bioethanol facilities using molasses as feedstock provided certain conditions are met.

On January 24, 2025, the Philippine Department of Finance announced the issuance of Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 001-2025, which provides the implementing guidelines of the pre-border technical verification (PTV) and cross-border electronic invoicing (CEI) of all imported commodities.

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) declared a food security emergency related to rice on February 3, 2025, citing an extraordinary increase in prices.

Recent developments in cross-border e-commerce expanded Filipino consumers’ access to imported food and beverage products, rising from zero in 2019 to almost $1 million in purchases in 2022.

The Philippines is an emerging market for halal products due to its growing Muslim population.

This report outlines the Philippine government requirements for the importation of corn. It also provides points of contact for key Philippine government authorities.

On June 30, 2023, the Department of Trade and Investment-Board of Investments (DTI-BOI) issued Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2023-004 or the “Guidelines on the Availment of Duty Exemption/Value-Added Tax and Customs Duty Exemption on Importation of Capital Equipment, Raw Materials, Spare Parts and Accessories under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Law."