Bataan port added to entry points for milled rice imports

• Imported milled rice may now enter through Bataan port in consideration of the congestion in Subic port

• Entry through Bataan port is subject to the submission of an official request to the Bureau of Plant Industry, approval, and the conduct of 100% inspection by the Department of Agriculture-Inspectorate and Enforcement

• Bataan joins the list of initial 17 ports of entry for milled rice as importation resumed this year

Imported milled rice may now also enter through Bataan port, subject to certain conditions, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

The inclusion of Bataan in the list of ports of entry for imported milled rice is in consideration of the congestion at Subic port as reported by importers, BPI said in a memorandum dated January 15.

Importers who intend to use Bataan port must submit an official request to BPI. If approved, the cargo will be subject to 100% inspection by the Department of Agriculture-Inspectorate and Enforcement.

Bataan joins the list of initial 17 ports of entry for milled rice as importation resumed this year.

Based on the guidelines under a BPI memorandum dated December 15, 2025, these ports include the following:

1. Bacolod
2. Batangas
3. Cagayan de Oro
4. Calbayog
5. Cebu
6. Davao
7. Dumaguete
8. General Santos
9. Iligan
10. Iloilo
11. Manila International Container Port
12. Port of Manila
13. Subic
14. Tabaco, Albay
15. Tacloban
16. Tagbilaran
17. Zamboanga

By February 1, the ports of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras will no longer be allowed to handle imported milled rice.

All incoming imported milled rice from the ports of Zamboanga and Tacloban are also required to undergo 100% inspection while shipments in other ports will be subjected to random inspection.

Any change in port of entry will require prior approval from BPI.

Application for sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) and ship out date was allowed even before January 1, but the arrival of any imported milled rice at the designated ports was to begin only on January 1.

All shipments of imported milled rice must arrive within 60 days from the date of issuance of the SPSIC. Shipments arriving beyond the prescribed period will not be accepted and will be required to return to the country of origin at the expense of the importer.

All imported shipments of milled rice should undergo regular plant quarantine document verification, validation. and commodity inspection prior to release at the respective port of entry. Audit of importers, and the mandatory reporting of rice stocks to BPI’s Online System for Integrated Rice Information System and other DA platforms will continue to be implemented.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year ordered a 60-day suspension of imports of regular milled and well-milled rice starting September 1, 2025, to protect local farmers from falling palay prices during the harvest season. This was later extended to December 31, 2025.

The Inter-Agency Group on Rice Tariff Adjustment also released the guidelines for implementing adjustments of import duty on rice beginning 2026.

Adjustments will be based on movements in international rice prices, with rates ranging from 15% to 35%.

READ: Guidelines out on rice import duty adjustments effective Jan