The Department of Agriculture (DA) is intensifying market inspections to ensure that the P43-per-kilo maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice is strictly observed, even as the suspension of rice importation remains in place.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said teams from the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) will inspect markets where imported rice prices have reportedly increased. “If the complaints are validated, retailers will be issued show-cause orders,” he said, stressing that imported rice supply remains sufficient even if the import freeze is extended.
Tiu Laurel told the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food that the country ended 2024 with a rice import surplus of about 1.2 million metric tons, while another 800,000 metric tons were brought in during the first nine months of 2025. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to extend the two-month suspension of rice imports through December.
The policy, initially intended to support palay farmgate prices, came after rates in some areas dropped to as low as P8 per kilo due to oversupply and weather-related losses.
Tiu Laurel said prices should still stay within the P43 MSRP for 5-percent broken rice, noting that “there are still imported and local varieties selling for P33 to P38 per kilo.”
To help lower-income families, the DA continues to expand its Rice-for-All initiative and the P20-per-kilo rice program through KADIWA ng Pangulo centers and select National Food Authority warehouses. Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said letters will be sent to four Metro Manila markets where higher rice prices have been reported.
