Rice arrivals through September declined slightly to 3.26 million metric tons (MMT) despite the temporary ban slapped on shipments of the staple grain.
Data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed that rice imports slid by 0.94 percent in the January to September period from the 3.3 MMT recorded last year.
President Marcos had earlier issued an Executive Order (EO) suspending the imports of regular and well-milled rice from September 1 to October 30, 2025.
However, BPI data indicated that 330,826.10 metric tons (MT) of rice shipments entered the country in September.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa earlier clarified that imports of the staple grain could still arrive in the country until September 15, provided that these left their respective countries of origin by the end of August.
‘Shipments that left the country beyond August 31 wouldn’t be allowed entry and therefore returned to the country of origin.’ De Mesa said.
Under the EO, the BPI would no longer issue sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) starting September 1.
Specialty rice varieties, such as Japonica, glutinous, and basmati rice, are exempt from the ban, according to agriculture officials.
The import freeze was imposed to prop up farmgate prices of palay, with industry sources citing the unabated entry of cheaper rice shipments as the reason behind the slump in prices of unmilled rice to as low as P8 per kilo.
Meanwhile, BPI data showed that as of October 9, 2.65 MMT of rice arrivals came from Vietnam, which maintains its spot as the country’s top supplier. Myanmar followed at 343,910.33 MT.
The Philippines also purchased rice stocks from other countries, such as Thailand (176,270.26 MT), Pakistan (76,394.02 MT), and India (20,170.22 MT).
Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel announced that the government will extend the import ban until the end of 2025.
He said this move aims to protect shield farmers from further losses, as farmgate prices of paddy rice remain under pressure due to oversupply and poor grain quality from successive rains.
Tiu Laurel also revealed that Marcos is considering restoring the 35 percent rice tariff, which was slashed to 15 percent in July 2024 to bring down retail prices.
According to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the tariff cut resulted in an estimated P20 billion in foregone revenues over 12 months.
‘If the tariff hike is approved, well and good,’ Tiu Laurel said. ‘But if not, our fallback plan-already supported by the President-is to allow importation only in January, and suspend it again from February to April to protect the next harvest.’