On 3 August, the government signed two Decrees (38884-MEIC and 39763 MAG-MEIC-COMEX), eliminating reference prices of rice in wholesale and retail markets, which had been fixed since 2013. In addition, import tariffs on paddy rice were reduced from 35 to 3.5 percent and on milled rice from 35 to 4 percent. These measures aim to contain increases in rice prices, which have been rising since September 2021 and were nearly 15 percent higher year on year in retail markets in June 2022. Elevated international prices provided additional upward pressure on prices, as the country sources more than half of its domestic consumption requirements of rice from international markets. On average, about one-third of rice imports originated from the United States of America between 2019 and 2021, where zero duties are already applied under Free Trade Agreements, with the rest mostly coming from South America.