MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expecting a stronger rice harvest during the current dry season, as improving farmgate prices boost farmer confidence and encourage increased planting in the next cropping cycle.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the recent rise in palay prices is helping farmers recover from earlier losses that had discouraged them from planting.

“Many farmers decided not to plant last season because they were still recovering from losses when palay prices were between P10 and p12 per kilo,” he said. “this harvest season, we are seeing prices improve to P22 to P27 per kilo, and we hope this continues so farmers are encouraged to plant more for the next season.”

He noted that the improved price environment is supporting expectations of higher dry-season output and is likely to drive stronger planting activity in the coming months, reversing earlier cautious decisions caused by low prices, typhoon damage, and irrigation issues.

At their lowest point last year, farmgate palay prices dropped below production costs, falling to around P8 per kilo in some areas and averaging between P10 and P12 per kilo in many markets. This led several farmers to scale back or postpone planting.

The subsequent price recovery has been partly attributed to supply-tightening measures, including a temporary restriction on rice imports from September to December ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which helped stabilize domestic supply and raise farmgate prices.

The DA said it is reinforcing the price recovery with continued support programs, such as fertilizer and fuel subsidies, expedited distribution of farm inputs, and expanded financial assistance. The agency is also studying a voucher system to improve access to inputs and promoting the use of organic fertilizers to reduce production costs.

Despite the improving outlook, earlier data still reflected the impact of last year’s challenges. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that palay production in the first quarter declined to 4.4 million metric tons from 4.69 million metric tons in the same period a year earlier, largely due to earlier planting decisions and weather-related disruptions.

Most of the first-quarter harvest came from crops planted in late 2025, when multiple typhoons brought heavy rains and flooding to key rice-producing regions such as Cagayan Valley and Western Visayas, damaging crops and limiting yields.

Tiu Laurel also cited damage to irrigation systems, particularly those serving about 37,000 hectares under the National Irrigation Administration’s Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System, which affected water supply in major farming areas.

With stronger prices and ongoing government support, agriculture officials said conditions are improving for a recovery in both rice production and farmer participation in the coming seasons.