The Department of Agriculture (DA) said rice imports went down by nearly half in the first quarter of 2025 on expectations of good local harvest.
DA assistant secretary Arnel De Mesa reported that as of March 13, 2025, rice imports stood at 641,000 metric tons (MT), a little over half of the 1.2 million MT imported by the end of March last year.
“Compared to imports last year, rice importation has drastically gone down, in part due to an expected bumper harvest this year and because of the declining global prices that have eased the pressure on importing countries,” De Mesa said in a briefing Wednesday.
A month-by-month breakdown showed a notable decline in import volumes of 277,000 MT in January compared to 430,000 MT last year; 267,000 MT in February from 343,000 MT a year ago; and just 96,000 MT in March from 415,000 MT in the same month last year.
The government adjusted its import strategy to reflect the anticipated strong local harvest.
De Mesa cited a report by an Indian-American agricultural economist, noting that rice importation trends in both India and the Philippines were becoming more predictable, influenced by policies and market adjustments in response to domestic production.
Samarendu Mohanty, recognized last year by the World Food Prize Foundation as one of the top agri-food pioneers worldwide, noted that India’s decision to lift long-standing export restrictions and the Philippines’ introduction of a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on imported rice combined to drive down global rice prices.
“These concurrent policy changes created a perfect storm that ultimately stabilized and transformed rice markets worldwide,” Mohanty said, pointing out that within months of the shifts, world rice prices declined 18 percent and appeared headed for further softening early this year.
After reaching historic highs, rice prices softened to their lowest in over two years. The influence of India, the world’s largest rice exporter, and the Philippines, its largest importer, on global pricing is undeniable, Mohanty said.
He said India’s move was driven by record domestic production, thanks to favorable monsoons and growing pressure from farmers facing depressed local prices.
He said the Philippines also implemented “aggressive market reforms” under Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.
These included strict enforcement against hoarding and price manipulation, direct importation to stabilize supply and technology-enabled monitoring of rice stocks and movements.