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The Department of Agriculture will maintain rice import levels this year, prioritizing food security over market intervention as it prepares for a strong El Niño that could curb domestic production and tighten supplies
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As of August 3, rice imports have reached 3.3 million metric tons
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The prevailing El Niño, with its strong impact expected around November-December, could reduce palay (unmilled rice) output by 750,000 metric tons
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Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA must prepare buffer stocks before the next harvest
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will maintain rice import levels this year, prioritizing food security over market intervention as it prepares for a strong El Niño that could curb domestic production and tighten supplies ahead of the dry-season harvest in early 2027.
This decision differs from last year, when the DA paused rice imports from September to December to bolster farmgate prices during the peak harvest season.
READ: PH rice import ban to be extended to end-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%.
Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in a statement said ensuring adequate rice stocks now takes precedence over restricting imports because of heightened weather risks expected toward the end of the year.
Latest government projections indicate El Niño could reduce palay production by about 750,000 metric tons.
“As of Aug. 3, rice imports have reached 3.3 million metric tons. Unlike last year, we will not suspend imports because we have to prepare for the impact of a strong El Niño expected around November and December,” Tiu Laurel said.
“Our responsibility is to ensure the country has enough buffer stocks well before the next harvest. Food security means being proactive, not reacting after supplies tighten,” he added.
The policy reflects the government’s effort to balance affordable rice prices for consumers while preventing imports from putting downward pressure on palay prices during the harvest season.
READ: Guidelines out on rice import duty adjustments effective Jan
Tiu Laurel said the National Food Authority (NFA) has been directed to intensify palay procurement to support farmgate prices and encourage farmers to continue planting despite the looming effects of El Niño.
The NFA aims to purchase around 500,000 metric tons of palay during the wet season harvest at a minimum buying price of P21 per kilogram for wet palay and P25 to P27 per kilogram for dry palay.
Tiu Laurel said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. increased the NFA’s procurement budget to P14 billion this year from P9 billion in 2025, allowing the agency to purchase more palay from local farmers.
“The President’s instruction is straightforward. The NFA must have the funds and the warehouse capacity to buy more palay from our farmers,” Tiu Laurel said. “We are clearing space now so procurement can accelerate as the harvest begins later this month.”
The DA is also expanding distribution under its “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program, which provides eligible beneficiaries, including indigents, single parents, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities, with access to rice at P20 per kilogram from NFA stocks.
Through the “KADIWA ng Pangulo” program, the department plans to double the volume of rice sold under the initiative to 40,000 metric tons per month.
Tiu Laurel, chair of the NFA Council, said the agency’s warehouses are nearly half empty as milling speeds up after recent delays.
The agriculture chief plans to meet rice millers to discuss fair pricing across the supply chain.
“We want a market where farmers receive fair compensation, millers and traders operate sustainably, and consumers continue to enjoy reasonably priced rice,” he said, adding that locally produced rice should retail at around P47 to P50 per kilogram.
