THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will recommend a two-week extension of the rice import ban, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.
Laurel, in a statement, said the extension aims to continue the positive impact on local palay prices.
The current ban, approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., began on Sept. 1 and is set to end on Oct. 30. This measure was put in place to coincide with the peak wet season of palay (unhusked rice) harvest.
Laurel Jr. said the measure has boosted farmgate prices of palay, directly benefiting Filipino farmers.
“Pending data validation, I am now inclined to recommend that the President extend the ban for at least 15 to 30 days,” Laurel said.
He noted that before the ban, wet palay prices dropped to P8 to P10 per kilogram, but prices have since improved since the implementation, reaching P17 per kilogram in some parts of Mindanao.
However, some provinces like Isabela and Nueva Ecija still have unprofitable prices, with farmgate prices at P13 to P14 per kilogram. The production cost of palay is P14 per kilogram.
The agriculture chief added that the volume of imported rice remains a key factor influencing traders’ buying prices for palay.
As of Sept. 11, a total of 3.08 million metric tons of imported rice had entered the country from about 3,574 issued sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances.
The DA earlier said it would only allow the entry of imported rice shipped from the country of origin on or before Aug. 31, with arrival permitted until Sept. 15.
The department is set to submit its recommendation on whether to extend or lift the import ban on Sept. 30. / PNA