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RICE arrivals reached nearly 3 million metric tons (MMT) 11 days before the Philippines closes its borders to imports.

Data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed that 2.95 MMT of rice shipments have entered the country as of September 4.

Of this, BPI data indicated that 2.35 MMT came from Vietnam, which remains the country’s top supplier. Myanmar followed this, accounting for 333,520.33 MT.

The Philippines also purchased rice stocks from other countries such as Thailand (163,360.26 MT), Pakistan (76,344.02 MT), and India (19,856.45 MT).

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa recently said that only rice shipments that left their respective countries of origin by the end of August would be allowed entry, citing an order issued by the BPI.

He noted that the BPI would no longer issue sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) on September 1, following an Executive Order issued by President Marcos, which suspended the imports of regular and well-milled rice until October 30, 2025.

However, de Mesa said that rice shipments that left the country of origin before the ban started can still enter the Philippines until September 15.

He added that only four ports, specifically Manila, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Cebu, would cater to rice imports arriving before the cutoff.

“So, if shipments left the country beyond August 31, they won’t be allowed to enter. If they ever arrive [beyond the allowable period], these will be returned to the country of origin,” de Mesa said in a previous interview.

Despite this, agriculture officials had clarified that specialty rice varieties, such as Japonica, glutinous, and basmati rice, will be exempt from the ban.

The BPI approved and issued 267 SPSICs in August for the purchase of 482,723.99 MT of imported rice. Of this, 251 were used, translating to 341,211.23 MT rice arrivals.

The government’s decision to slap a temporary ban comes as farmgate prices of palay have plummeted to as low as P8 per kilo in some areas.

Industry sources cited the unabated entry of cheaper imported rice as the reason behind this decline

Source : businessmirror