Marcos tells DA: Streamline processes to lower prices

President Marcos has ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to promote ease of doing business in their procedures, particularly to remove non-tariff barriers on the importation of agricultural products, to lower prices, and to ensure supply.

Marcos said this in his Administrative Order (AO) No. 20, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on April 18, which took effect immediately.

In his AO, the President emphasized that administrative constraints and non-tariff barriers cause the continued increase of domestic prices of agricultural commodities despite existing measures.

He added that it was important for the DA to undertake measures aimed at further streamlining administrative procedures and policies on the importation of agricultural products, as well as removing non-tariff barriers to address increasing domestic prices of agricultural commodities.

Non-tariff barriers are policy measures, other than customs tariff, that restrict trade, including but not limited to quotas, import licensing systems, regulations, and red tape.

“It is imperative to further streamline administrative procedures to foster transparency and predictability of policies on the importation of agricultural products in order to help ensure food security, maintain sufficient supply of agricultural goods in the domestic market, and improve local production,” President Marcos said.

President Marcos ordered the DA, to work with either the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) or the Department of Finance (DOF) to streamline procedures and requirements in the licensing of importers, minimize the processing time of applications for importation, and exempt licensed trades from submission of registration requirements.

The DA, following consultations with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Committee on Tariff and Related Matters, is also tasked to facilitate the importation of certain agricultural products beyond the authorized MAV and reduce or remove administrative fees.

Marcos ordered the DA to streamline procedures and requirements for the issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC), and take concrete steps to improve logistics, transport, distribution, and storage of imported agricultural products.

President Marcos ordered the DA, DTI, BOC, Philippine Competition Commission, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to form a “Surveillance Team” led by the Agriculture Department to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the AO.

The Surveillance Team is tasked to monitor the importation and distribution of agricultural products and prevent illegal price manipulation acts and other unfair anti-competitive commercial practices, among others.

The DA, DTI, DOF, BOC, and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) are directed to jointly submit a quarterly report on the status of the implementation of the AO to the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Inter-Agency Committee on Inflation and Market Outlook (IAC-IMO).

The IAC-IMO, established through Executive Order No. 28 (series of 2023), is an advisory body of the Economic Development Group on measures that would keep inflation, particularly food and energy, within the government’s inflation targets. — Argyll Cyrus Geducos