RICE prices could markedly fall next month as imports levied lower tariffs have started to arrive, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said on Friday that around 35,500 metric tons (MT) of the grain had already been shipped to the Philippines under the 15-percent tariff established via Executive Order 62.

The rice tariff cut, from an already lowered 35 percent, is part of a new comprehensive tariff program approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Board last month "to ensure access and affordability... while balancing the interests of consumers and local producers."

"Imported rice priced at P51 to P53 per kilo could drop to below P50 due to the significant tariff reduction," de Mesa said.

He also claimed that prevailing prices had already decreased since July 11 and would "go down further."

"There is a big difference when I looked at the rate and computation [of the possible drop]... it's quite a significant reduction, to the P40s level definitely," de Mesa said.

The DA official earlier said that retail prices of rice could go down by almost P7 a kilo in the next few months following the government's approval of lower import tariffs.

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