NFA opens application for import of 163,000 MT of rice

MANILA, Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA) has opened the application for the importation of 163,000 metric tons (MT) of well-milled rice under the Minimum Access Volume-Country Specific Quota (MAV-CSQ) for this year.

The source countries and their  allocations are: Thailand (98,000 MT), India (25,000 MT), China (25,000 MT) and Australia (15,000 MT).

The NFA said on its website the allocation per import shall be set at a minimum of 2,000 MT and a maximum of 5,000 MT for 2014.

The allocation per importer shall be made on a first-come, first-serve  basis.

In line with the imposition of a quantitative restriction (QR) on rice imports, the Philippines allows the entry of 350,000 MT of rice under MAV at 40-percent duty, while imports outside MAV are levied a duty of 50 percent.

The MAV is divided into country-specific quota and government-to-government procurement.

Under the MAV-CSQ, importation shall only be made from the four specified countries.

“Transshipment of rice importation from another origin to either of the four specific countries is strictly prohibited,” said the NFA.

All interested importers may apply by submitting the following requirements to the NFA Central Office Grains Marketing Operations Department: letter of intent, NFA import license valid until December 2014, registration with Bureau of Customs’ I-CARE, 2014 mayor’s permit, NFA clearance from Legal Affairs, certificate of business registration, pro-forma invoice, proof of warehouse ownership, latest audited financial statement.

Applicants shall also pay a non-refundable processing fee of P20,000.

The general guidelines may be secured from the NFA’s Grains Marketing Operations Department-Foreign Operations Division at 4th floor left wing, Philippine Sugar Center Bldg., North Ave., Quezon City.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the NFA Council has yet to decide on the importation volume to be made under a government-to-government tender for this year.

Last year, the Philippines imported 163,000 MT under the MAV CSQ, and the MAV remainder of 187,000 MT from Vietnam for use as buffer stock.

After Super Typhoon Yolanda demolished thousands of hectares of rice areas in the Visayas in November 2013, the NFA Council cleared the importation of another 500,000 MT from Vietnam to supplement the country’s buffer stock needs.

After the destruction of Santi and Yolanda on rice lands in Luzon and the Visayas, the Department of Agriculture (DA) conceded that only 97 percent sufficiency was attainable for 2013.