Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the creation of a technical working group (TWG) on rice importation to adopt a data-driven approach to balancing supply, stabilizing prices and protecting local farmers.
The move comes as the Department of Agriculture (DA) moves to finalize rice import policies for May while laying the groundwork for a more structured system later this year.
“We have to work fast. It’s already February,” Tiu Laurel said during a recent meeting with industry players and DA officials. He directed the TWG to meet weekly and submit policy recommendations within weeks.
The TWG will include representatives from the DA’s office of the undersecretary for rice industry development, Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM) and the Philippine Rice Importers Association (PRIA).
The group is tasked with strengthening oversight of rice importation through transparent and evidence-based decision-making. Instead of ad hoc approvals, the TWG will focus on a license-based access system validated by performance and guided by data on regional supply deficits, buffer requirements and real-time stock levels.
The immediate priority is to ensure sufficient imported rice reaches the market to temper prices without disrupting local harvests.
The TWG is also expected to refine a two-tier system designed to balance equity and efficiency by determining import volumes, timing and the distribution of shipments at provincial and regional levels. Future import volumes and timing will be data-guided, supporting a calibrated system covering Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, with the potential to tailor pricing by province, Tiu Laurel said.
The DA plans to tighten rice stock reporting requirements, warning that traders and warehouses that fail to submit inventory data may lose import eligibility. Currently, only a portion of registered facilities comply with reporting rules.
For farmers, the initiative aims to provide stronger safeguards by aligning import timing with market demand. For consumers, the policy is expected to support a steady supply and reduce price volatility.
