Federation of Free Farmers

23/04/2026

10/04/2026

FARMERS REJECT TARIFF CUT ON CORN IMPORTS
(10 April 2026)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the MAGSASAKA Party-List vehemently opposed a proposal to remove tariffs on corn imports. The tariff cut was reportedly suggested during a recent meeting of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. with business groups to mitigate the impact of the energy crisis on retail prices of chicken and pork.

The FFF and MAGSASAKA explained that setting import tariffs on corn to zero would reduce the landed cost of corn by an average of P1.70 per kilo. This would translate to an equal reduction in the production cost of broiler chicken, since approximately one kilo of corn is needed to produce a kilo of chicken. Assuming the savings on import duties would be passed on in full to consumers, retail prices of chicken would go down by less than 1%.

In turn, some two million corn farmers cultivating 2.3 million hectares stand to incur almost Php 12 billion in losses if farmgate prices drop by P1.70 per kilo as a result of the tariff cut, they pointed out.

“Coupled with rising fuel and farm inputs costs, a zero tariff may force half of corn farmers to stop production over an estimated 1.15 million hectares”, FFF Board Chairman Leonardo Q. Montemayor said.

At present, corn imports are assessed a 5% tariff if the corn is sourced from ASEAN or brought in under the minimum access volume (MAV) system. Other imports are charged 15%. In 2025, local corn production supplied only 60% of local requirements, with imports of corn and corn substitutes like feedwheat making up for the shortfall.

“Instead of passing on the burden of high energy prices to farmers, the government should assist local hog and poultry raisers in securing cheaper veterinary medicines, vaccines, and other inputs that are not locally produced.”, said MAGSASAKA Chairman Argel Joseph T. Cabatbat.

Montemayor and Cabatbat added that feedgrains manufacturers as well as poultry and livestock producers had already previously enjoyed major tariff concessions from the government and have been allowed to freely import corn substitutes like feedwheat and barley at similarly reduced tariffs.

“Reducing tariffs at this time will give the wrong signals to our corn farmers, who are themselves seriously affected by the increase in fuel, fertilizer, labor and other production costs. This will make us even more dependent on imports at a time when international supplies are becoming costlier and less available.”, the two farm leaders said.

12/11/2025

EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VARIABLE RICE TARIFFS DEFECTIVE AND INEFFECTIVE, SAYS FARMER GROUP (12 November 2025)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) questioned the validity of Executive Order 105 providing for variable tariffs on rice imports, and called the tariff scheme a cosmetic measure that will do little in preventing the entry of cheap imports once the current import ban is lifted.

Under EO 105 which was issued on November 7, 2025, tariffs will be adjusted by 5 percentage points for every 5% change in international rice prices.

The FFF claimed that EO 105 was issued without consultations with stakeholders as mandated by Section 1608 of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Board, which recommended the adoption of the variable tariff scheme, also deliberately waited for Congress to go into recess so that the President could unilaterally adjust tariffs.

“The economic managers have habitually ignored the law and played around with the rules to get what they want. They have misled the President into signing defective Executive Orders in the process.”, said Raul Montemayor, FFF National Manager.

The FFF added that the proposed variable tariff scheme will not be able to effectively curb the surge in cheap imports that was induced by the reduction in tariffs from 35% to 15% in July 2024 through Executive Order 62. The resultant overimportation led to the severe drop in palay farmgate prices to as low as Php 8 per kilo, well below production costs averaging Php 14.50 per kilo.

“Imports will remain at their cheap levels as in 2025 because any subsequent change in international prices will simply be offset by an adjustment in tariffs. The net effect will be basically zero, and cheap imports will continue to depress palay prices.”, added Montemayor.

The FFF also expressed doubts on whether future tariff adjustments can be done promptly, given the consultation and other processes that need to be followed as prescribed by the CMTA and other laws.

The FFF further warned the government against potential disputes with its trading partners, given that similar variable tariff schemes have been ruled illegal in the World Trade Organization (WTO). It added that other countries may unilaterally retaliate against the Philippines by imposing their own variable tariffs or import bans on Philippine products.

06/10/2025

FARMERS DECRY VIOLATIONS OF RICE IMPORT BAN (6 October 2025)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) questioned the legality of the importation of more than 315,000 tons of rice in September 2025 despite the imposition of a ban on imports starting September 1.

Last August 29, 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. issued Executive Order 93 suspending the importation of regular and well-milled rice for 60 days starting September 1. The said EO took effect the next day upon its publication in the Official Gazette.

Import entry records sourced from the public database of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) show that a total of 340,216 tons of rice entered the country in September despite the import ban.

Although the ban exempted “specialty rice varieties not commonly produced by local farmers”, almost 93% of the shipments consisted of rice with 5% to 25% brokens which clearly fall within the rice grades that are prohibited by the ban.

“It would be impossible for these banned shipments totaling more than 315,000 tons to have entered the country in just one day, on September 1.”, said Raul Montemayor, FFF National Manager..

The FFF bewailed the apparent duplicity of the government in appearing to help protect rice farmers by suspending imports while at the same time allowing massive shipments of disallowed rice grades on the very first month of the import ban.

The FFF maintained that the Bureau of Customs (BoC) can be held criminally liable for allowing the shipments to enter the country despite the explicit provisions of EO 93 disallowing imports after September 1.

The FFF is also studying whether the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary can be charged for violation of the Safeguard Measures Act (RA 8800) for not acting within the prescribed 5-day period for acting of the petition for safeguard duties filed by the FFF and the MAGSASAKA Party List last September 29.

A series of mass actions is alo being planned in the coming weeks to air the indignation of the country’s rice farmers over the apparent insensitivity of the government to the drastic drop in palay prices brought about the surge in cheap imports and now, the apparent insincerity in implementing the import ban.

06/10/2025

ROCK BOTTOM PALAY PRICES DRIVING MASSIVE PEASANT UNREST, FARMERS’ GROUPS WARN (6 October 2025)

The country’s 2.5 million rice farmers are poised to stage mass actions to protest the Marcos administration’s failure to address rock-bottom palay prices that have pushed them into extreme poverty.

The warning was aired by the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the MAGSASAKA Party-List organization, which both bewailed the massive over-importation of rice resulting from aggressive trade liberalization since the enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law (Republic Act No. 11203) in 2019.

“This situation was worsened by the 57% cut in rice tariffs in July 2024 and the 40% decline in rice prices globally since last year,” added FFF Chairman Leonardo Q. Montemayor and MAGSASAKA Chairman Argel Joseph Cabatbat.

A former Agriculture Secretary, Montemayor faulted the current regime for downplaying official government data, which showed that its policies did not appreciably reduce prices for consumers, but have instead slashed palay farmgate prices below production costs.

For 2025 alone, the FFF has estimated a drop in farmers’ incomes of P43 billion.

Montemayor also lamented that, despite their repeated attempts, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has ignored requests of farmers’ groups for a dialogue.

Meanwhile, Cabatbat, MAGSASAKA’s representative in the 18th Congress, reiterated producers’ calls for the immediate imposition of additional tariffs under the Safeguard Measures Act (R.A. No. 8800) in 2000 in order to arrest the continuing downward slide in palay prices.

He pointed out that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Jr. apparently did not follow the law’s requirement to schedule – within five days - a preliminary investigation on the joint petition filed last September 29 by the FFF and MAGSASAKA.

“The temporary suspension of rice imports since September 2 has had little effect on palay prices. They remain low because traders expect cheap, low-tariff imports to resume when the ban is lifted before yearend,” Cabatbat said.

03/10/2025

FARMERS URGE SWIFT ACTION ON RICE SAFEGUARD DUTY PETITION (3 October 2025)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the MAGSASAKA Party-List (MAGSASAKA) urged Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Jr. to act swiftly and decisively on their petition to impose provisional safeguard duties on rice imports.

Under the Safeguard Measures Law (R.A. 8800), the DA Secretary has five (5) days from receipt of the petition, or until Friday, October 3, 2025, to determine if there is enough basis to start an investigation. If so, the inquiry must be completed within 30 days from receipt of the petition, after which the petition – if found meritorious - is endorsed to the Tariff Commission for final judgment.

The law empowers the DA Secretary to impose provisional safeguard duties, valid up to 200 days, while the investigations are ongoing. Aside from paying the regular tariffs, currently at 15%, importers must post a bond equal to the additional safeguard duties that could be charged on their shipment if the petition is granted.

“The Secretary must act immediately because farmers are already harvesting and suffering from extremely low prices for their palay. Charging safeguard duties now will induce traders to raise palay buying prices because imports will become costlier and locally produced rice, more competitive, once the current import ban is lifted.”, said Raul Montemayor, FFF National Manager.

He added that the import ban, even if extended until yearend, will not be enough to prop up prices.

“During the second semester, farmers harvest the equivalent of 6.5 million tons of rice, which is four times or more than the volume normally imported during the same period.”, said Montemayor.

Both the FFF and MAGSASAKA have repeatedly urged the government to restore the tariff to at least its previous level of 35%, before it was reduced to 15% in July 2024 to address the spike in rice prices. Since then, international prices for rice with 5% brokens have fallen by 40%. In turn, the ex-pier cost of imported rice, inclusive of tariffs, has dropped by 75% from Php 47.41 per kilo in January 2024 to only Php 26.70 in July 2025.

The abrupt reduction in import prices led to a market glut, which then saw palay prices going down by 11% and farm incomes per hectare declining by 60%.

MAGSASAKA Chairman Argel Joseph Cabatbat expressed doubts that increased palay buying by the National Food Authority (NFA) will alleviate the situation.

“NFA’s warehouses remain congested, especially because a large portion of its stocks are aging and may not be saleable anymore. Most farmers also lack access to dryers and other post-harvest facilities needed to meet the agency’s quality standards. Available funds can absorb only about 2% of the incoming harvests.”, Cabatbat said.

29/09/2025

FARMERS FILE PETITION FOR PROVISIONAL SAFEGUARD DUTIES ON RICE IMPORTS (29 September 2025)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the MAGSASAKA Party List (MAGSASAKA) filed today an urgent petition, asking Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Jr. to immediately impose provisional safeguard duties on rice imports to address the drastic plunge in palay prices.

Farmgate prices have again reportedly dropped below Php 10 per kilo with the onset of the wet season harvest period despite the government’s 60-day ban on imports until November 2, 2025.

The FFF and MAGSASAKA estimate that the country’s 2.5 million rice farmers will suffer a Php 43 billion drop in their incomes this year due to the surge in cheap imports following the reduction in import duties from 35% to 15% in July 2024. Moreover, international rice prices have dropped by 40% from their peak levels at the start of 2024.

“By itself, the import ban will not prop up palay prices significantly, because traders anticipate that cheap imports will flood the market again when the ban is lifted in November.”, said Raul Montemayor, FFF National Manager, who represented the FFF in the petition.

“Increasing the tariff is the most effective way to convince traders that they can pay higher prices to farmers and still be competitive with imports during the off season. And the best and fastest way to raise the tariffs at this time is through the Safeguard Measures Act. Waiting for Congress or an Executive Order will take too long.”, added Montemayor.

Under the Safeguard Measures Act or Republic Act 8800, the DA Secretary can impose safeguard duties or taxes on top of regular tariffs, if there is a surge in rice imports that have caused, or threaten to cause, serious harm to local farmers. Importers will be required to post a bond equivalent to the safeguard duty in addition to paying the current 15% tariff.

The safeguard duty can last for up to 200 days, while the Tariff Commission conducts a formal investigation and issues its final ruling on the case.

Meanwhile, MAGSASAKA Chairman Argel Joseph T. Cabatbat pointed out that the proposed floor price for palay will not work if market prices remain low due to cheap imports. The scheme could even backfire on farmers, should traders decide to stop buying palay in order to avoid penalties for not complying with the mandated minimum price, he warned.

“The low prices that rice producers have been receiving for their labors represent not just an economic problem. They threaten the very survival of rice farmers and the long-term security of our entire agricultural sector.”, emphasized Cabatbat, who represented the party-list organization in the petition and urged Secretary Tiu-Laurel to act swiftly on the matter.

05/08/2025

Interview tungkol sa panukalang taasan ang taripa at itigil pansamantala ang pag-angkat ng bigas. Sa DZBB, kahapon, August 5, 2025. Nag-uumpisa ang yugto sa oras na 1:10:30.

Panoorin ang mga programang , , , at sa na sabay ding na...

01/08/2025

GOVERNMENT INACTION MORE DANGEROUS THAN RICE TARIFFICATION LAW, SAYS FARMER GROUP (1 August 2025)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) urged the government to immediately raise rice import tariffs to address the freefall in palay prices nationwide.

Field reports indicate that prices for freshly harvested palay have gone down to as low as Php 8 per kilo, down 31% from prices a year ago, resulting in an estimated Php 54.5 billion drop in farmers’ incomes during the first six months of the year.

The FFF attributed the steep decline to the uncontrolled entry of cheap imports following the government decision in July 2024 to reduce import tariffs to 15%. This led to a supply glut which was exacerbated by the aggressive rollout of the subsidized Php 20 kilo rice program.

“The Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) actually allows us to raise tariffs to as much as 35% for imports from ASEAN countries and 198% for non-ASEAN rice. It also permits the imposition of so-called safeguard duties, or even a temporary import ban, to arrest an import surge. The government does not have to wait for an amendment to the RTL to do all these.”, said Raul Montemayor, FFF National Manager.

The FFF said that government inaction on the tariff issue will discourage farmers from planting and make the country more dependent on imports in the coming months. The drop in palay prices has also led farmers to default on their loans to creditors, while the supply glut has compromised the operations of rice traders and millers all over the country.

“The government must act now instead of pointing the finger at allegedly unscrupulous rice traders or the need to first amend the RTL.”, said Montemayor.

The FFF acknowledged the need to amend the RTL but cautioned against a return to the previous system which resulted in huge losses to the government and engendered corruption within the National Food Authority (NFA). It argued that the amendments should focus on strengthening the government’s monitoring and regulation of the rice industry while allowing for a more proactive management of rice supply and demand.

“Government should intervene only when rice prices go up too high, or palay prices fall below a certain benchmark. There may be no need for aggressive NFA palay buying or rice selling if government is able to manage the entry of imports to prevent either supply shortages or gluts.”, said Montemayor.

30/07/2025

GOVERNMENT POLICY, NOT TRADERS, TO BLAME FOR DROP IN PALAY PRICES, SAYS FARMER GROUP (30 July 2025)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) pointed to the government policy allowing unlimited imports of cheap rice as the main cause of the recent drop in palay prices. Field reports indicate that prices for freshly harvested palay have gone down to as low as Php 8 per kilo, down 31% from prices a year ago, and less than half the buying price of the National Food Authority (NFA).

The FFF attributed the drastic decline in farmgate prices to a supply glut following the arrival of 2 million tons of imported rice during the first half of 2025 and the large carryover of rice stocks from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the landed cost of imports with 5% brokens, inclusive of tariffs, has gone down to around P28 per kilo, or 42% below its peak level of Php 47.41/kilo in January 2024 and even lower than comparable prices in 2022. This was due to the softening of international prices and the retention of the 15% tariff on rice imports, which was brought down from 35% starting in July 2024.

“Local traders and millers will have to compete with this cheap imported rice at the wholesale market. They will have to buy palay from farmers at a price that will allow them to recover costs and make money. Ultimately, it will be farmers who will suffer from the cheap imports”, said Raul Montemayor, FFF National Manager.

The aggressive rollout of the government’s subsidized rice program has exacerbated the problem, following announcements of plans to expand the subsidy program’s coverage to 15 million households, or more than half of the total households in the country, with a budget of over Php 100 billion, larger than the total budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“Traders now have to compete not only against rice imported from abroad, but also rice subsidized by the government. For a trader to sell rice at P20 per kilo, he will have to buy dry palay at Php 10 per kilo to make some profit, and lower if the palay is wet or storm-damaged. This coincides with what is happening now at the farmgate level.”, said Montemayor.

The FFF also questioned government’s threats to run after rice traders who are allegedly taking advantage of farmers by buying palay at very low prices.

“If small traders who buy several cavans of palay from farmers at low prices can be called economic saboteurs, what is the corresponding liability of government officials whose policy pronouncements have resulted in huge losses for millions of small farmers and billions of foregone tariff revenues?”, asked Montemayor.

The FFF has estimated that the government has lost almost Php 27.5 billion in tariff collections from the time it lowered import tariffs from 35% to 15% in July 2024. In turn, gross incomes of rice farmers in the first half of 2025 are estimated to have gone down by Php 54.5 billion due to the average Php 6 drop in palay prices compared to the same period in 2024.