By Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) said it expects rice import volumes to reach 150,000 metric tons (MT) per month in March and April, following consultations with rice traders and importers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the projected shipments are lower than the usual monthly average of about 400,000 MT, after importers agreed to scale back inbound shipments for the domestic harvest season.
“It’s not an order. It’s a voluntary measure among the industry and the DA. We are working together for the welfare of rice farmers,” Mr. Laurel said at the P20 rice program launch in San Juan City on Friday.
If realized, the combined 300,000-MT import volume for March and April would translate into a 65.5% decrease from 869,321 MT recorded in the same period last year.
Data from the Bureau of Plant Industry showed that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 5, rice arrivals reached 409,377 MT against an expected volume of 613,700 MT for the first two months of the year.
Rice imports in January alone totaled 375,983 MT, up 34.31% from 279,940 MT in the same month in 2025.
The DA earlier said import volumes this year will likely come in at between 3.6 million MT and 3.8 million MT, levels which the agency said are sufficient to meet demand without depressing farmgate prices for local farmers.
The department also recently announced that it is considering a proposal to link eligibility to import rice to the volume of rice purchased from domestic farmers to protect the local industry.
Mr. Laurel said the proposal would require traders to buy palay (unmilled rice) or rice to receive import allocations.
He said the department is targeting initial implementation of the system in the second half of the year, possibly by July.
Former Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said the proposed policy is expected to manage rice imports while helping local producers.
“It will be a good incentive for traders to buy local palay before they are given allocation to import rice,” he told BusinessWorld via Viber. “I suggest that for every 4 metric tons of palay bought, a ton of rice can be imported, hence a ratio of 4:1 in favor of local palay purchase.”
Raul Q. Montemayor, national manager of the Federation of Free Farmers, earlier told BusinessWorld that the proposed local purchase requirement “will not be a problem” as some rice importers and traders are also engaged in milling operations.
“For importers who have no local buying operations, they could easily tie up with local millers or traders or put up their own shell companies,” he said via Viber.
Mr. Montemayor said the proposed scheme would also benefit from additional requirements, such as proof of palay purchase at the floor price or higher.
