THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will keep rice imports open for the rest of 2026, abandoning last year’s temporary import suspension as it prepares for the impact of a strong El Niño that could reduce domestic rice production and tighten supplies ahead of the 2027 dry season harvest.
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government’s priority is to ensure adequate buffer stocks, citing projections that El Niño could reduce palay output by about 750,000 metric tons.
“As of Aug. 3, rice imports have reached 3.3 million metric tons. Unlike last year, we will not suspend imports because we have to prepare for the impact of a strong El Niño expected around November and December,” Laurel said.
The policy marks a departure from 2025, when the DA halted rice imports from September to December to support farmgate prices during the main harvest.
Laurel said ensuring food security now outweighs the benefits of restricting imports, adding that the government must build sufficient stocks before domestic supplies come under pressure.
To cushion farmers from weaker palay prices, the National Food Authority (NFA) has been directed to expand palay procurement during the wet season. The agency targets buying about 500,000 metric tons of palay at a minimum of P21 per kilogram for wet palay and P25 to P27 per kilogram for dry palay.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. increased the NFA’s procurement budget to P14 billion this year from P9 billion in 2025, allowing the agency to purchase more palay and support farmgate prices, Laurel said.
The DA is also expanding its Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! program through Kadiwa ng Pangulo, aiming to double monthly sales of P20-per-kilo rice from NFA stocks to 40,000 metric tons for qualified beneficiaries, including indigents, senior citizens, single parents and persons with disabilities.
Laurel said NFA warehouses are now nearly half empty as milling operations accelerate, creating more storage space for the incoming harvest later this month.
He added that the DA will meet with rice millers to discuss a pricing structure that balances the interests of farmers, traders and consumers. The department estimates locally produced rice should retail at around P47 to P50 per kilogram. / KOC