MANILA – The government will extend the ban on rice importation until the end of 2025, allow limited imports in January 2026, and reimpose the ban in February to protect local farmers and stabilize supply ahead of the dry season harvest, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced Monday.

Speaking before the House Committee on Agriculture, Tiu Laurel said the move is necessary as domestic palay prices remain under pressure due to oversupply and poor grain quality caused by persistent rains.

He noted that as of September, rice imports had already reached 3.5 million metric tons, exceeding the 2.7 million metric tons that should have been imported by that time. “We are 800,000 metric tons in excess,” he said.

Tiu Laurel also explained that the country’s annual rice import requirement is 3.6 million metric tons, or roughly 300,000 metric tons per month. In 2024, total imports reached 4.8 million metric tons—1.2 million metric tons above the needed supply.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is reportedly considering restoring the 35 percent rice tariff, which was reduced to 15 percent in July 2024 to lower retail prices. The tariff cut resulted in an estimated P20 billion in foregone revenues over 12 months.

“If the tariff hike is approved, well and good,” Tiu Laurel said. “But if not, our fallback plan—already supported by the President—is to allow importation only in January, and suspend it again from February to April to protect the next harvest.”

Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Christopher Morales said projected rice supply by the end of 2025 would range from 3.24 million to 4.06 million metric tons, or 85 to 106 days of national consumption, sufficient to support a 60- to 120-day import suspension.

Despite weather disruptions from the Southwest Monsoon and typhoons, Morales said the palay harvest is expected to reach a record 20.29 to 20.51 million metric tons, equivalent to 12.78 to 12.92 million metric tons of milled rice.

Meanwhile, National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson said the agency plans to procure 4 million 50-kilogram bags of palay at a minimum price of P17 per kilo, benefiting about 40,000 farmers.

Tiu Laurel added that Malacañang is preparing two executive orders: one to set a floor price for palay through government procurement, and another to allocate ₱3 billion to the NFA for emergency logistics, warehouse leasing, trucking, and procurement of storm-damaged grain.