Top rice importer Philippines may halt purchases to help farmers
The Department of Agriculture has recommended the plan and also pushed for higher tariffs on imported rice, the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement on Monday, without providing a timeline or indicating when purchases might be suspended. The cabinet will discuss "this urgent matter' with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the sidelines of his state visit to India this week, it added.
The plan comes at a time when improving global supply prospects for the grain have pushed benchmark Asian prices to an eight-year low. That has sparked farmer protests in some major producers, such as Thailand, while helping to ease food inflation for consumers.
The department's proposal comes just days after Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. suggested to limit annual imports to less than a fifth of current levels, saying imported rice was hurting local producers and could even force local millers to close operations.
The Southeast Asian nation is projected to buy 5.4 million tons of rice in the 2025-26 season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It has already imported around 2 million tons of the staple in the first half of 2025, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said last week.
A record drop in rice inflation in the Philippines in June helped keep overall inflation in check. The sustained decline in domestic prices of the grain was also spurred by a cut in import tariffs last year to 15% from 35%, with the reduced rate set to remain in effect until 2028.
Paddy rice output in the country, usually planted twice a year, reached 9.08 million tons in the first half of 2025. It's targeting to produce record 20.46 million tons during the full year.
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