Retail prices of regular milled rice increased in early February, while farmgate prices of palay also posted gains at the start of the year, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
PSA data indicated that at the national level, the average retail price of regular milled rice reached P45.54 per kilogram during the first phase of February 2026, covering February 1 to 5.
The figure was higher than the P43.76 per kilogram recorded in the second phase of January 2026 and the P43.14 per kilogram in the first phase of January 2026.
Despite the month-on-month increase, the February price remained lower than year-ago levels. Regular milled rice averaged P47.19 per kilogram in the second phase of February 2025 and P47.77 per kilogram in the first phase of February 2025.
Meanwhile, separate PSA data showed that the national average farmgate price of dry palay reached P20.10 per kilogram in January 2026, reflecting an increase from P18.01 per kilogram in December 2025.
However, the January 2026 level was slightly lower than the P20.72 per kilogram recorded in January 2025. The January 2026 farmgate price remains preliminary.
Rice remains a major component of household food expenditure and a key contributor to inflation trends, making price movements at both retail and farmgate levels closely monitored by policymakers and industry stakeholders.
The PSA compiles the data through regular price-monitoring surveys of selected agricultural commodities across markets nationwide.
The data serve as short-term indicators of supply and demand conditions and provide guidance for government agencies in assessing market trends and possible interventions to stabilize food prices and ensure sufficient domestic supply.
