Description

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), the most important cereal crop in the Philippines, is the staple food of about 85 million Filipinos. It contributes 35% to the total calorie intake of Filipinos.

Rice is included in the country's list of highly sensitive products under the ASEAN Free Trade Area-Common Effective Preferential Tariff (AFTA-CEPT) scheme. As such, it has certain flexibilities in terms of beginning and ending rates and safeguard measures embodied in the Protocol on Sensitive and Highly Sensitive Products. The phase-in of rice into CEPT scheme will start on 01 January 2005 with expected completion by 01 January 2010.