News Details

DA to Keep ?43/kg Cap on Imported Rice Amid 60-Day Import Ban

NPO

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August 15, 2025

MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) will maintain the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of ₱43 per kilogram for imported rice with 5 percent broken grains, even during the two-month suspension of rice imports starting in September.

“We will maintain the MSRP even during the two-month rice import ban,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Thursday, assuring the public that the DA will guard against profiteering. “Throughout the suspension, we will closely monitor supply and market dynamics, especially among retailers, wholesalers, and importers, and take appropriate action to uphold market discipline.”

As of August 13, DA’s Bantay Presyo monitoring showed premium imported rice in Metro Manila selling for ₱42 to ₱48/kg, while local premium rice ranged from ₱42 to ₱60/kg.

Tiu Laurel noted that the import ban could be shortened or extended depending on retail price trends and the outcome of the wet harvest season.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier approved the DA’s recommendation for a 60-day import ban from September to October to protect farmers from falling farmgate prices during the harvest peak in October. Specialty rice varieties such as Japanese, black, and basmati rice will be exempted.

The Bureau of Plant Industry reported that as of August 7, rice imports for 2025 had reached 2.58 million metric tons.

—NPO News Team / PNA-PR