Section 2Sec./Art. 2

Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to make the country's agricultural sector viable, efficient and globally competitive. The State adopts the use of tariffs in lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products, except in the case of rice, which will continue to have quantitative import restrictions.

Consistent with the constitutional mandate of protecting Filipino firms against unfair trade, it is furthermore the policy of the State to employ anti-dumping and countervailing measures to protect local producers from unfair trade practices, rather than use quantitative import restrictions.

To help the agricultural sector compete globally, the State shall seek to raise farm productivity levels by providing the necessary support services such as, but not limited to, irrigation, farm-to-market roads, post-harvest equipment and facilities, credit, research and development, extension services, other market infrastructure and market information.