Flour importers are looking forward to resuming imports from Türkiye once the second extension of the anti-dumping duty is lifted or allowed to expire on January 14, 2027.
Ernesto Chua, president of the Philippines-Türkiye Business Council, told reporters after a business matching session between Filipino and Turkish businessmen during the recent visit of a Turkish business delegation that the Turkish ambassador had already discussed with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel efforts to lift the anti-dumping duty on Turkish flour imports.
The Tariff Commission is also accepting comments and petitions within six months before the anti-dumping duty expires early next year. The definitive anti-dumping duty on Turkish wheat flour imported into the Philippines currently ranges from 2.87 percent to 16.19 percent of the export price, depending on the Turkish exporting company.
“I hope they wont extend the anti-dumping again,” Chua said competition will further drive prices down. Besides, he said, imported flour from Turkish is not expected to affect the competitiveness of locally-milled flour.
“We are working with PCCI to talk with the DTI and Agriculture to lift sooner the anti-dumping duty so Filipino consumers get cheaper and quality flour,” he said.
Following the imposition of the anti-dumping duty on Turkish flour, Chua said importers stopped sourcing flour from Türkiye. “None at all, everybody stopped importing,” he emphasized, noting that most flour imports are now coming from Vietnam.
Chua explained that Turkish flour is actually more expensive because of higher freight costs resulting from the distance between the two countries.
Even without the anti-dumping duty, Chua said, Turkish flour is still subject to a 3 percent tariff, unlike imports from ASEAN member states and China, which enjoy zero tariffs under existing free trade agreements.
However, he said the Turkish government supports its roughly 500 wheat flour millers, helping them remain competitive. By comparison, Vietnamese flour millers also source wheat from Russia, incurring high freight costs, while Türkiye has its own wheat production, giving Turkish flour a competitive advantage.
Aside from price, Chua said what matters is giving Filipino consumers more choices of affordable, high-quality flour. He added that, like many other industries, the flour market is currently experiencing weak demand.
Wheat flour prices in the country have remained relatively stable. Hard flour sells for around PHP900 to PHP1,000 per 50-kilogram bag, while soft flour costs about PHP700 per bag.
