Retail prices of rice are expected to go up as a result of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to suspend rice importation for 60 days starting September 1, 2025, a group said on Saturday.
“Kapag nabawasan ang imported rice, tataas naman ang [supply] lokal na bigas... Inaasahan nating tataas ang presyo... Ngayon pa lang may epekto na. Tumaas na ang presyo ng palay,” Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement lead convenor Rowena Sadicon said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
(When imported rice is reduced, the [supply] of local rice will increase... We expect the price to increase... It's already having an effect. The price of palay has increased.)
“'Yung epekto, tataas ang presyo ng palay sa mga magsasaka. Tataas 'yan ng mga P1 to P2 [per kilo]… Most likely, P1 to P2 din ang itataas sa retail price ng bigas,” Sadicon said.
(The effect is that the price of palay will increase for the farmers. It will increase by about P1 to P2 [per kilo]… Most likely, the retail price of rice will also increase by P1 to P2.)
On Wednesday, the Palace announced Marcos ordered the suspension of all rice importation for two months starting in September upon the recommendation of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) criticized the ''government's delay'' in imposing safeguards for local rice farmers, saying that many of them have been pushed into debt, with some questioning whether it is still worth planting at all.
“Dalawang bagay ang mga kailangang intindihin... Ang ating mga farmer ang naging dahilan kung bakit nagkaroon ng ganitong intensiyon. 'Yung epekto nito sa atin ay sa supply chain,” Sadicon said.
(There are two things that need to be understood... Our farmers are the reason why this was done. The impact this has on us is on the supply chain.)
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, base effects will likely cause the retail price of rice to decline in the next four months.
In July, rice inflation saw a sharper year-on-year deflation, or “negative inflation,” at -15.9% from -14.3% in June.
The average rice prices nationwide in July 2025 were as follows:
- Regular milled: P41.31 per kilo from P50.90 per kilo in July 2024
- Well-milled: P47.60 per kilo from P55.85 per kilo
- Special: P56.83 per kilo from P64.42 per kilo year-on-year
The trend of declining inflation for rice seen since August 2024 was consistent with the PSA’s expectation that it will begin easing towards the second half of 2024 due to base effects, particularly when it began its uptrend in August 2023, as well as the impact of the lower rice import tariff, which took effect in July last year. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
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