Philippines’ DA: No rice import restrictions this year
Philippines rice imports rose 19 percent to 3.89 million metric tons as of September 17, with totals expected to reach 5 million metric tons to maintain adequate stocks against El Nino and monsoon disruptions that threaten lower domestic palay and corn output.
The country’s rice imports totaled 3.89 million metric tons (MT) as of Sept. 17, up 19 percent from 3.27 million MT a year earlier, according to data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
The increase is not an issue for the Department of Agriculture (DA) since it wants to maintain adequate rice stocks ahead of the expected El Niño warm weather, Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said Thursday.
“Last year, there was no El Niño, so imports were halted from September to December. This year, we are not restricting [it] because we need sufficient rice stocks. Otherwise, prices next year could be affected,” de Mesa told reporters.
The DA estimates that El Niño could reduce palay production by 700,000 MT, less than the 1 million MT lost during the 2024 dry spell.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier said rice imports could reach 5 million MT this year to offset the projected local production shortfall.
Tiu Laurel also told The Manila Times that third-quarter palay and corn output could fall below Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates due to El Niño and the recent southwest monsoon (habagat). He did not provide revised figures.
Based on standing crops as of Aug. 1, the PSA projected Q3 palay production at 3.19 million MT, down 15 percent from the 3.75 million MT recorded a year earlier.
Corn production was estimated at 2.08 million MT, 14.4-percent lower than the 2.43 million MT produced in the same period last year.
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Source : The Manila Times
