MANILA — The government will roll out measures to ensure rice prices remain stable once the 60-day import ban takes effect on September 1, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing that the Department of Agriculture (DA) will strictly enforce the maximum suggested retail price for rice through nationwide weekly monitoring.

She added that the DA will also hold consultations with farmers, millers, and traders to guard against price manipulation.

“Pa-start na nga rin po ang harvest season. So, with that, nakikita po natin na tama po ang supply ng bigas sa atin mula sa local farmers. So wala pong masyadong iniisip na magiging problema ang DA patungkol sa supply ng bigas,” Castro said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier ordered the 60-day suspension of rice importation in response to falling palay (unmilled rice) prices during the harvest season.

The DA noted that bumper rice harvests worldwide, the lifting of India’s export ban, and the Philippines’ record-high 9.08 million metric tons of palay harvested in the first half of the year have all contributed to downward pressure on prices.