Federation of Free Farmers

22/07/2026

FARMERS GIVE “BARELY PASSING” TO “FAIL” GRADE TO PBBM
(22 July 2026)

The Federation of Free Farmers, the country’s oldest national farmers’ organization, gives a grade of “barely passing” to “fail” to the Marcos Jr. administration’s performance in agriculture and fisheries since its term began on June 30, 2022.

Despite successive increases in the budget of the Department of Agriculture, its unprecedented number of 14 undersecretaries and a hyperactive press office, the farm and fisheries sector has remained basically stagnant – alternating between contraction to slight growth – and has hardly kept pace with the population growth rate of about 1%.

While some 60% of DA’s budget funds the rice program, yield per hectare has barely improved from 4.11 tons in 2022 to a paltry 4.14 tons in 2025, and way below the modest target of 5 tons.

Except for coconut, some fruits and fish, the Philippines has become increasingly reliant on importation to meet rising consumer demand. For rice, the country imported around 30% of its staple food requirements since 2022, compared to below 10% ten years ago.

Today, the country has the dubious distinction of being the biggest rice importer in the world.

Following the issuance of Executive Order No. 62 in June 2024, major reductions in tariff rates on rice, corn, pork and poultry and the resulting larger influx of these commodities from abroad have failed to significantly reduce retail prices. On the other hand, they have caused severe income losses among local producers and dampened their planting/growing intentions and actual production. For 3 million rice farmers, their incomes declined by an estimated P50 billion per year in real terms since the enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law in 2019.

At the same time, the drastic drop in tariff collections (some P44 billion for rice alone) has deprived farmers of earmarked and much needed revenue source for improving their productivity and competitiveness.

Amid all this, the current administration continues to follow its trade liberalization and importation playbook. Witness its rush to complete free trade agreements with the European Union, Canada and Chile, while our pork and poultry producers worry about facing cheaper imports from these states.

Of grave concern to our fisherfolk is the continuing encroachment of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters, which – by law – are reserved for municipal fishers. Unfortunately, the Marcos Jr. administration and the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are perceived as having fumbled the ball in protecting the exclusive rights of municipal fisherfolk in the Mercidar Fishing Corporation case pending for several years now in the Supreme Court.

On agrarian reform, the President rightfully deserves commendation for spearheading the enactment in 2023 of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which condoned the unpaid land amortizations of agrarian reform beneficiaries.

However, much still remains to be desired from the Department of Agrarian Reform’s slow response to illegal land conversions, long pending agrarian disputes, and violence against farmers fighting for social justice (such as the murders of FFF leaders Gerriel Tadeja and Josephine Tadeja in Alacaak, Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro in December 2024).

Moreover, the DAR has chosen to remain silent despite the clamor of landless farmers – pursuant to the constitutional provisions on agrarian reform and social justice - to be accorded a legal pathway to access and own land after the 2014 deadline under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law.

During his State of the Nation Address a year ago, the President made the following commitments: he will run after profiteers victimizing consumers and traders exploiting farmers, 15 million new coconut trees will be planted during the year, and amendments to the Coconut Industry and Trust Fund Act of 2021 will be prioritized so that some 3 million coconut farmers and farm workers will gain effective access to the P100 billion plus-coconut levy fund.

Today, the consummation of these promises remains devoutly to be wished.

08/07/2026

FARMERS DEMAND QUICK ACTION ON RICE IMPORT SAFEGUARD PETITION (06 July 2026)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the MAGSASAKA Party List (MAGSASAKA) urged the Tariff Commission (TC) to expedite its investigation on their petition for safeguard remedies on rice imports in accordance with the Safeguard Measures Act (Republic Act No. 8800).

Their call follows the unexplained nine-month delay within the Department of Agriculture (DA), which formally “accepted” the petition only on March 19, 2026 -- nearly six months after the original application was filed on September 29, 2025 by FFF National Manager Raul Montemayor and MAGSASAKA Chairman Argel Joseph Cabatbat. It took another three months, or more than 60 days longer than the period prescribed by RA 8800, before the DA finally validated and endorsed the petition to the TC.

Under RA 8800, the TC can recommend the imposition of additional safeguard duties, volume restrictions, or a temporary ban, on rice imports if it confirms that a surge in rice imports has seriously harmed, or threatens to seriously injure, the country’s rice farmers.

The FFF scored the DA for dragging its feet on the petition, which sought to stop the steep decline in farmgate prices in the last quarter of 2025 following an unprecedented surge in imports, which reached almost 4.8 million tons in 2024 and spilled over to 2025.

Under RA 8800, Montemayor pointed out, the DA Secretary can temporarily impose safeguard duties to address emergency situations, even while the TC is undertaking its own investigation. The DA Secretary can also ask the TC to complete its work within 60 days, instead of the regular 120 days, if it is deemed necessary.

“Regrettably, Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Jr. has not exercised this power, despite having publicly acknowledged the flooding of the rice market with imports in 2025. Instead, he dribbled the ball for nine months, and then passed it to the Tariff Commission.”, he said.

Meanwhile, Cabatbat belied insinuations that the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which liberalized the rice market in 2019, was responsible for the import surge in 2024-25. He noted that it was the government’s decision to reduce the rice tariff to 15% and maintain it at that level despite the continued drop in import prices, which led to the import surge.

Moreover, Cabatbat added, the ban on imports during the last quarter of 2025 did little to prop up palay prices which, ironically, recovered only after the ban was lifted in January 2026 when farmers had already harvested and sold their palay to traders.

“Lately, the DA has been pushing for amendments to the RTL, purportedly to prevent a recurrence of import surges. Yet, existing laws such as RA 8800 already provide the government with enough powers and options to prevent over-importation. Unfortunately, the current administration has failed to use them”, said Montemayor.

He opined that the DA’s primary objective in lobbying for RTL revisions is to give government – through the DA - a free hand in the importation and sale of rice. Under current statutes, this can be done only during emergency conditions and through legally designated government entities.

17/06/2026

SAFEGUARD MEASURES TREATED AS “GHOST” SAFETY NETS?
- RICE FARMERS BLAST DA FOR INACTION (June 15, 2026)

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) decried the inordinate delay by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in resolving their long-standing application for safeguard duties on rice imports.

Last September 29, 2025, invoking the Safeguard Measures Act (Republic Act No. 8800), FFF National Manager Raul Montemayor and MAGSASAKA Party-List Chairman Argel Joseph T. Cabatbat filed a petition with DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu-Laurel, Jr. for the imposition of additional customs duties, following the surge in rice imports which led to the severe drop in palay prices.

Montemayor noted that their petition was formally “accepted” by Tiu-Laurel almost six months later on March 19, 2026, and only after they had been required to make several detailed revisions and technical changes to their original submission.

Since then, he said, the case has remained pending, despite clear provisions in RA 8800 mandating the DA Secretary to rule on the issue within thirty days of acceptance, by either dismissing it or endorsing it to the Tariff Commission for a final resolution. This reglementary period lapsed last April 18.

“Safeguard measures provide a critical, time-sensitive shield for our farmers against excessive imports after trade liberalization of our rice industry under the Rice Tariffication Law (RA 11203) in 2019. But, so far, the DA has refused to utilize a remedy that is readily available under RA 8800 and the rules of the World Trade Organization.”, Montemayor said.

“For about nine months now, rice producers have been expecting the DA’s decision on our petition. Will the safeguard protection guaranteed by law turn out to be a “ghost” safety net?”, he asked.

Montemayor pointed out that – in comparison - the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been proactive in assisting cement and other industrial sectors and acting quickly on their petitions for safeguard duties.

“While the DTI has moved promptly to protect manufacturing companies and workers threatened by import surges, the DA appears lackadaisical in addressing the plight of millions of small farmers who have suffered from the deluge of rice imports.”, he lamented.

Montemayor added that, while the DA has repeatedly claimed that imports are a last resort in addressing local supply gaps and rice price spikes, it has effectively allowed the private sector to import unlimited volumes at low tariffs and balked at imposing safeguard duties even when imports have become excessive and seriously harmful to farmers.

The FFF is considering administrative and other remedies to compel the DA to follow the timelines in addressing safeguard duty and other provisions under RA 8800.

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.