Grains body violates global trade treaty

Rice importers whose shipment have been seized on orders of the National Food Authority (NFA) have contested NFA authority to issue discretionary import permits for rice in light of the expiration of the country’s right to impose limits and restrictions in the importation of the critical food staple.

The legal team representing the importers also argued that the NFA’s continued insistence on enforcing import restrictions on rice is in violation of the World Trade Organization (WTO)—General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)