By TED CORDERO, GMA Integrated News

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is not expecting a drastic increase in the retail prices of rice as the government is set to raise the duties for imported grain mid this month.

The Philippines resumed importing rice this month after a four-month moratorium on rice importation ordered by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. which began September 2025 to support farmgate prices during the wet-season harvest beginning October.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier said that rice import duties will be raised to 20% from the current 15% by January 16, 2025 to comply with regulatory and procedural requirements. 

With the impending increase in rice import duties, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said, “Wala naman kaming ine-expect na mataasan na pagtaas kasi naging maganda naman yung production reported din ng PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) na tumaas pa nga yung level of inventory ng bigas sa ating bansa despite ‘yung absence ng importation noong huling bahagi ng 2025.”

(We are not expecting a drastic increase in prices because the production as reported by the PSA showed that the level of inventory actually increased despite the absence of importation in the last part of 2025.)

Data from the PSA showed that the national rice inventory rose by 5.8% to 2.7 million metric tons (MT) as of December 1, 2025, of which 45.2% was held by commercial traders, 38% by households, and 16.9% by the National Food Authority.

De Mesa also noted that the four-month rice import ban proved that there was no sudden or dramatic increase in retail prices of rice.

“This means that the amount of rice entering the country [prior to the ban] is beyond what the country needs,” he said.

“That’s why we have not experienced a supply shortage which could cause prices to increase,” he added.

Moreover, this year, the DA is projecting a new record-high palay production of 20.3 million MT which could help in stabilizing local rice prices.

With an expected record-high local rice production, de Mesa said the Philippines would be importing “less than four million MT this year.”

In 2024, rice imports reached about 4.8 million metric tons, the DA earlier said. This volume “dragged palay prices down to as low as P8 per kilo in some areas before the ban,” it added.

“Since the import freeze took effect, palay prices have recovered, rising to around P17 per kilo for wet palay and about P23 per kilo for dry palay in several producing regions,” according to the DA.

In 2025, rice imports were lower at 3.36 million MT amid the four-month importation ban on the grain.

Following the end of the rice importation on December 31, 2025, the government will allow the importation of an initial 500,000 metric tons of rice.

“Of this, about 50,000 metric tons will be allocated to Food Terminals Inc.,” the DA said earlier. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

Published Date: January 8, 2026