Today, October 17th, 2023, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, in his capacity as Acting Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, signed five agreements with food import companies to implement the temporary intervention to stabilise the price of rice on the markets, at a ceremony held at the Government Palace in Dili. 
The agreements signed today aim to ensure that the price of imported rice sold in the warehouses of national rice wholesalers is set at a maximum of 12 US$ dollars for each 25kg bag or parcel so that retail sales can be set at a maximum of 50 cents for each kilogramme of rice. 
To comply with this price ceiling, national rice wholesalers or national economic operators importing rice wholesale will receive a US$ 5 subsidy for each 25kg bag or parcel, corresponding to 20 cents per kilogram of rice. 
To qualify for the subsidy, companies must submit payment requests, accompanied by a copy certified by the Customs Authority, proving that the product was imported following the specifications and period defined by Decree-Law no. 76/2023 of September 29th, which established this measure. 
The five companies that formalised the agreement with The Government today are Perissos Victoria Lda, Loja Creative Furak Lda, Lisun Importação e Exportação Lda, Jusibel Unipessoal Lda and Alfa Dili Unipessoal Lda. 