Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered intensified market monitoring to ensure that the PHP43 per kilo maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on imported rice is enforced—despite the current suspension of rice importation.
“Teams from AMAS (the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service) will visit markets where price increases on imported rice have been reported. If the complaints are validated, retailers will be issued show cause orders,” Tiu Laurel said. He stressed that supply of imported rice remains sufficient, even if the import freeze is extended.
In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, the DA chief revealed that the country ended 2024 with an excess rice import volume of around 1.2 million metric tons as traders took advantage of lower global rice prices and tariff, and by an extra 800,000 metric tons during the first nine months of this year.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to extend the two-month import suspension through December. The move was originally aimed at boosting palay farmgate prices, which had plunged to as low as P8 per kilo in some areas due to oversupply, high production, and weather-related crop damage.
Tiu Laurel acknowledged that demand for high-quality imported rice has increased, which, combined with the import freeze, has led to tighter supply. Still, he believes prices should remain within the PHP43 MSRP for 5 percent broken rice.
“There are still imported and local rice varieties selling for as low as PHP33 to PHP38 per kilo. Consumers just need to be more discerning in choosing where they buy,” he added.
For lower-income households, the Department of Agriculture continues to roll out its Rice-for-All initiative and the PHP20 per kilo rice program through KADIWA ng Pangulo centers and select National Food Authority warehouses.
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, who oversees AMAS and the KADIWA program, said that letters will be sent to four Metro Manila markets where elevated rice prices have been reported.
“We will conduct site visits to assess compliance and determine what actions may be taken if imported rice is being sold above the MSRP,” she said.
Aside from market inspections, Guevarra said AMAS will also monitor warehouses to assess current rice supply levels.
