PH notifies WTO of its safeguard investigation on imported rice

The Philippines notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated a preliminary safeguard investigation on imports of certain types of rice from various countries.

The notification was lodged by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the WTO in Geneva on March 26, 2026.

Based on its notification, the Philippines initiated the investigation on the basis of import data obtained from official sources and information submitted by the petitioners, Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and Magsasaka Partylist of the Philippines, indicating that increased imports of rice are a substantial cause of serious injury and threat thereof to the domestic industry.

Rice farmers cited loss of market share, increasing import penetration, declining self-sufficiency, rising commercial inventories, increasing production costs without corresponding productivity gains, contraction in harvested area, and a widening farm gate-to-retail price gap.

The investigation has been initiated to determine whether safeguard measures are warranted.

The Philippines is projected to remain the world’s top rice importer for the fourth consecutive year in 2026, with total imports hitting 5.5 million metric tons (MT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A safeguard investigation seeks to determine whether increased imports of a product are causing, or is threatening to cause, serious injury to a domestic industry.

During a safeguard investigation, importers, exporters and other interested parties may present evidence and views and respond to the presentations of other parties.

A WTO member may take a safeguard action (i.e. restrict imports of a product temporarily) only if the increased imports of the product are found to be causing, or threatening to cause, serious injury.

A safeguard measure often leads to the imposition of a tariff against imports. The Philippine Safeguard Measures Act or RA 8800 was enacted to protect a specific domestic industry from a sudden, sharp, and unforeseen surge in imports that causes—or threatens to cause—serious injury.