THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday that rice imports could resume in mid-January as prices stabilize following a four-month import ban.
DA Spokesman Arnel V. de Mesa said the executive order extending the import ban until December has yet to be released but confirmed it will be issued soon.
“We were informed that the executive order will be released,” he told a Palace briefing.
Imports will be allowed starting mid-January, running into mid-February, allowing rice inventories to build up before the next harvest.
“By January, we definitely need imports because there will be no additional harvest,” he said. “That’s why the ban is only until December.”
He added that the government will reassess conditions later in the year to determine whether another import freeze will be necessary.
“It’s possible that we may reimpose a ban if harvests remain strong, to protect farmgate prices,” he added.
The DA over the weekend announced that the suspension of rice imports will remain in place until year’s end to help stabilize the farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice.
The Philippines is the world’s largest rice importer, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA trimmed its 2025 rice import forecast for the Philippines to 4.9 million metric tons (MMT) from 5.4 MMT previously following the government’s import freeze.
As of August, before the freeze took effect, imports amounted to 2.58 MMT of rice, down from 4.81 MMT imported in 2024.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said on Sunday that the executive order signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that would formalize the extended import ban was initially expected to be released on Monday, Nov. 3.
The Marcos administration first implemented the import ban on Sept. 1 to stem the decline in prices of the staple grain ahead of the wet-season harvest.
While prices initially recovered following the suspension, they began to ease again as the original Oct. 31 expiry date approached.
The next lean period, Mr. De Mesa noted, will fall between July and August, ahead of the September harvest.
“We are now able to plan these cycles better — when to impose an import ban and when to allow imports — to protect both farmers and consumers and to ensure price stability,” he added.
Raul Q. Montemayor, national manager of the Federation of Free Farmers, said the import ban has not significantly propped up farmgate prices.
“Palay prices fell to P15.60 per kilo in September from P17.11 a month before, despite the start of the import ban,” he said via Viber.
“While there are reports of slight increases, prices remain low compared to previous periods,” he said, estimating the cost of production at about P14.50 per kilo.
Mr. Montemayor added that most of the palay harvest has been brought in, meaning any price increases driven by the ban would likely benefit traders rather than farmers.
He also warned that the government must closely monitor rice inventory levels through the rest of the year.
“Between October and December — excluding September, because for some reason they allowed 340,000 tons to come in despite the ban — we will forego about 1 million tons of imports, volume that would have been added to supply if there was no ban,” he said.
“The next harvest will be in March-May, so whatever stocks are carried over from 2025 plus imports that will come in if the ban is lifted say in January should be enough for at least three months consumption.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana