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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is “cautiously optimistic” about achieving another record-high palay (unmilled rice) harvest despite the onslaught of recent typhoons.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said palay production hit 9.08 million metric tons (MT) in the first half of 2025. This meant a 6.4 percent increase from 8.55 million MT in the same period last year.

The figure was the highest first-semester output volume recorded by the statistics agency since the enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) in 2019.

Also, corn output climbed by 5.2 percent to 3.9 million MT from 3.71 million MT year-on-year, according to the PSA.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said improved weather conditions and sustained government support had boosted the production of key staple crops.

“Palay and corn production for the January–June semester gives us hope for a better year for agriculture despite the challenges we now face,” Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Thursday.

“Mother Nature permitting, and with the help of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and lawmakers, we are cautiously optimistic that we could post a record harvest this year,” he added.

Exceeding target

The agency said the latest reading indicates that the country may exceed its palay output target of 20.46 million MT this year. The first-half harvest usually accounts for more than 40 percent of the annual production.

If the target is attained, it will surpass the highest volume of 20.06 million MT recorded in 2023 and the 19.09 million MT of palay produced a year earlier.

Despite favorable weather conditions in previous months, the farm sector sustained P3 billion in losses due to the confluence of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and typhoons Crising, Dante and Emong.

Based on the DA’s bulletin on Thursday, rice comprised 56.34 percent of the overall damage with P1.69 billion, followed by fisheries with 17.25 percent or P516.57 million.

The DA also said they had rolled out initiatives on double-dry cropping to boost rice output with the National Irrigation Administration.

Tiu Laurel said the DA will propose further refinements to the RTL to ensure long-term sustainability of local production.

“I really feel that the RTL, as it is written today, will kill our rice industry. If it is not addressed, if it is not amended, it will kill the rice industry,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the 2025 Post-Sona Discussions.

Tiu Laurel proposed limiting the volume of rice imports arriving in the country to fill the supply gap, plus an additional two to three months of buffer stock. This is equivalent to roughly 750,000 to one million MT annually.

NFA mandate

Enacted in 2019, the RTL liberalized rice imports and stripped the National Food Authority (NFA) of its power to regulate the local market.

Tariffs collected from imported rice finance the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which outlines various programs to boost farmers’ productivity and increase their income and competitiveness.

House Speaker and Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as well as Tingog Party-list representatives Andrew Julian Romualdez and Jude Acidre filed the bill that sought to amend the RTL.

Among others, the House bill aims to restore the NFA’s regulatory powers, authorize the DA to restrict the entry of imports and set a floor price for palay.

President Marcos signed the amended RTL in December, which tripled the annual funding for RCEF to P30 billion until 2031 from P10 billion previously.

However, the NFA’s regulatory functions were not restored, although it empowered the DA to declare a food security emergency in the event of higher prices.

Source : msn