Two key measures regulating tax increases on cigarettes and strengthening excise tax administration to combat illicit trade and minimize revenue losses have been sent by the House of Representatives to the Senate. House Bills 11360 and 11286 have been approved by the lower chamber on third and final reading, signaling a major step in refining tax policies on tobacco products. …
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The maximum suggested retail price for imported rice is now at P55 per kilogram starting Feb. 15. The Department of Agriculture said the MSRP would apply to imported rice with five percent brokens. It is confident that come March the price cap would be lowered to P50 or below per kg. after two weeks. “This should reflect the lower global prices …
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The deferment of the implementation of Special Order 6 of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, which protects local producers by strictly monitoring the entry of imported sugar-based products and alternatives that would have been detrimental to other legitimate industrial players was hailed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio welcomed the deferment saying that SRA …
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BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz One of my former bosses at the Department of Agriculture, Ernesto Ordonez, wrote a column at the Inquirer recently pushing the adoption of high density farming in view of limited land and increasing global competition. Ordonez now chairs Agriwatch. For this to happen, he said, “we must harness our underutilized scientific community, which …
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By Rose de la Cruz After the Bureau of Plant Industry recommended to its mother agency, the Department of Agriculture, that there are ample stocks of red and yellow onions enough to last even after March,, DA Secretary Francisco Tiiu Laurel announced he would allow 3,000 of red onions and 1,000 tons of yellow onions. In an article headlined, “Dwindling …
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Production of fisheries fell by 5 percent in 2024 to 4.05 million metric tons, the lowest in two decades based on data of the Philippine Statistics Authority. The PSA recorded total volume of fisheries in 2024 as lower than the 4.24 MMT in 2023 and the lowest since the 3.93 MMT posted in 2004. The Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and …
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The National Tobacco Administration reported that the country’s unmanufactured tobacco exports shrank by 14.2 percent in 2024 at 17.8 million kilograms from 20.75 MKg in 2023. The value of tobacco shipped dropped by 6.47 percent to $94.59 million in 2024 from $101.13 million in the previous year. NTA data also showed that Universal Leaf Philippines, Inc. (ULPI) as the top …
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With the delisting of coconut by the US Food and Drug Administration from the list of tree nuts classified as major food allergens, the Department of Trade and Industry sees demand for other coconut-based products rising in that market. Citing Mintel’s global new product database from 2018 to 2023, DTI-Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) Director Bianca Pearl Sykimte said there are more …
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By Rose de la Cruz With most countries in the world actively pushing for nitrogen use in highly degraded soils, the reverse seems to be happening in the country. The Department of Agriculture seems to just be paying lip service to rejuvenating soils through biofertilizers and natural fertilizer ingredients, which one local company (apparently not close to DA) can adequately …
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One of the pioneer agriculture companies of Go Negosyo’s development program for micro, small, and medium enterprises has inked an agreement with a Malaysian firm to put up new durian plantations in the country. Go Negosyo, the advocacy arm of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), said Yovel East Research and Development Inc. had signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia’s …
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The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business